Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Dr. Julie
Puppies are born with their eyes closed with undeveloped retinas, begging the question; when do Rottweiler puppies open their eyes? All dogs spend the first weeks of their lives essentially blind, as they don’t really need vision. This is perfectly normal for all dog breeds and your Rottweiler puppy is no different.
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When Do Puppies Open Their Eyes?
Regardless of dog breed, most puppies open their eyes after ten to fourteen days after birth.
There are several reasons for their eyes remaining closed for that long. Firstly, their retinas aren’t yet fully developed. It’s common knowledge that puppies can’t see anywhere nearly as well as adult dogs. Secondly, puppies don’t really need vision during the first few weeks of their lives.
During that period, all they do is sleep and drink milk.
It’s also common for puppies to open one eye first and only open the other a few days later. It’s best not to try to force open their eyes. If there is, however, a reason you believe you should open your pup’s eyes (swelling, pus, other health indicators), then you should take your puppy to the vet.
This can happen if you’re not keeping their environment clean – newborn Rottweiler puppies can easily develop an infection. Conjunctivitis is, for example, common in this sense. That’s why it’s important to ensure a clean environment for your pup.
When Rottweiler puppies open their eyes, they don’t see well for several weeks. Their sight is blurry and they are especially sensitive to bright light. You should keep your puppies in a low-light environment during this stage of their life.
Rottweiler Growth Stages
All beings grow in different stages, and Rottweilers are no different. Scientists can differentiate almost a dozen stages of growth, but we will focus on a smaller and simpler categorization of growth stages.
1. Rapid Growth Stage
The first stage of growth, also called the neonatal period, is the period between birth and the first ten weeks of a puppy’s life. Rottweiler puppies grow the most rapidly during the first ten days of their lives! During this period, they’ll double in weight and size. They will, obviously, continue to grow after this period, but they’ll never grow this rapidly.
During this period, the mother will devote all her attention to her puppies and will care for them intensely.
2. 10 Week-Old Rottweiler
At this point, your puppy won’t be growing as rapidly as it used to. They’ll be gaining weight until they grow to their full size. You can expect that your puppy will start to walk around and explore more confidently. They will also want to socialize with you more, while they’ll also socialize with other dogs (if you own any).
At this point, the puppy is very sensitive to trauma and interaction, so don’t try to implement any disciplinary training yet. Instead, try to promote and encourage exploration!
3. 3 Month-Old Rottweiler
At this point, your puppy has become completely accustomed to both people and other dogs. This doesn’t mean that it will become less inquisitive, if anything it’s quite the opposite. What this means is that the period of socialization is over and your dog now understands the interaction between itself and other dogs, as well the interaction between itself and humans.
Even though your puppy is only three months old, it’s already very large. At this point, your puppy has reached approximately 60% of its natural height. It will continue to grow at this rate and put on weight until they’re seven months old.
4. 6 To 9 Months
At this point, your puppy will develop all of the 42 permanent teeth in its mouth. However, something that’s even more important, it will reach sexual maturity.
This is intensely connected to fear – your dog will start to develop protective instincts. This is why you’ll notice that your dog is barking more and more during this period. It’s developing a sense of territory and your dog instinctively wants to defend that territory.
Barking and aggression are the two most common ways Rottweilers express their fear. This is because that fear kicks their defensive instincts into gear.
Your dog could also start fearing other things, even outside of its own territory. It’s important not to force your dog to explore the things it fears. Let them do that at their own pace and commend them with treats.
5. 12 To 18 Months
This is the final period of your dog’s physical development, and it’s also the slowest. Rottweilers will still grow during this time, but the rate at which they increase in size and weight is very slow and completely incomparable to the rate of growth they sustained after birth.
Your dog is now much more mature than it used to be, but Rottweilers don’t achieve full mental and physical maturity until they’re 3 or 4 years of age, experts say. Even though your dog won’t grow in size, it will be putting on a lot of muscle, especially if you’re exercising with them and feeding them properly.
At this point, you’ll start to notice whether your dog is suffering from fear in any way that’s causing problems. Your Rottweiler will develop territorial behavior and a naturally defensive character. However, if you work with your dog, you’ll teach them discipline and you should expect obedience.
This is the time when it’s crucial to step the dog training up a notch and discipline your dog. Make sure that the dog socializes with both people and other dogs.
In conclusion, your Rottweiler puppy will open its eyes after ten to fourteen days after birth. This period of blindness is completely normal and it’s here to protect the puppy’s eyes during their period of sensitivity. The puppies don’t really have a need for vision during this time, so it’s not harmful to them to keep their eyes closed.
The opening of their eyes coincides with the most intense stage of growth with Rottweilers, only followed by more stages. Your dog won’t be fully grown until it’s about 18 months of age, and it won’t be fully mentally and physically mature until it’s about four years of age.
Read more about: How To Train A Rottweiler Puppy Not To Bite
