When Do Dachshund Puppies Open Their Eyes?

Dachshund Puppies

Puppies typically open their eyes around ten days postpartum. Puppies are born with eyes closed and don’t open them until they’re a few days old. It is an adaptation to keep them from being damaged by the light.

A puppy’s eyes will typically begin to open around ten days after being born, though some breeds may take longer. When this occurs, it’s essential to make sure that the puppy is not left unattended with its mother or siblings because he doesn’t know how to care for himself yet and may get snared on their paws if they’re trying to nurse.

Table Of Contents

Things You Should Know About Newborn Dachshunds Physical Development

Two days Old Puppies

Puppies usually have their eyes open when they are two days old, but some may take a few days longer to open their eyes. The puppies’ eyes’ color depends on how much light has been on them and how warm it is in the whelping box. If it is dark in the whelping box and not warm enough for them to stay warm with all their fur, a puppy’s eyes may appear to have an amber color at first.

5 Days Old Puppies

By day five, the puppies should be lively and eating well. The mother will begin to wean them, starting with short periods of nursing throughout the day, followed by more extended periods without nursing on each successive day. Their eyes start to open between days two and five. You can check the hair around their neck that can determine if your dachshund puppies are long-haired.

Puppies First Week

After five days, puppies can walk and run around the whelping box. The mother will start to get the pups comfortable eating food other than her milk. Puppies are usually fully weaned at three weeks old, but it is up to the mother to weans them.

10 Days Old Puppies

It’s true, your Puppy’s eyes are now opening, and on average, a Dachshund puppy’s eyes will start to open at around ten days of age. When they do start to open it, it all depends on the breed and size of the Dachshund pup that you have. It’s usually one at a time and then the other followed by squinting, but most will fully come round in about another three days or so.

2-week old Dachshund Puppies

They are old enough to have their dewclaws removed, whether they have started eating solid food or not. Make sure to keep your pup warm and dry, especially their feet. Do NOT use puppy pads. Leaks can irritate their skin and cause rashes!

3-week old Dachshund Puppies

This dog is expected to grow a lot of things. Their paws and nose may be getting longer, while their eye and ears are still the exact sizes. Besides this, they are expected to be more active and alert since they have started to sense the world outside of mother dogs.

4-week old puppies

By the age of 1 month, your puppy’s body is analogous to that of an adolescent human. Your puppy’s bones are hardening, and the cartilage sheathing the joints is beginning to disappear, making your puppy’s bones denser. The endomysium, which connects the bone to the tendon, also starts to disappear as the puppy’s hormones change.

5-week old dachshund puppy 

The puppy’s feet are still the same, and he cannot walk properly. In just a few short days, his feet will get better at gripping the ground and supporting his weight. When you pick up your puppy at this age, you might notice that he does not have reasonable control over his legs because they are so small. They can have both of their dewclaws removed, and they will be safe from infection. Now is the time for puppies to begin eating hard puppy food if the mother hasn’t already begun to wean them.

6-week old dachshund puppy

You will be able to tell that your puppy is wide awake around this time. Dachshunds pick their heads up and look around very quickly, and they are moving their ears around quite a bit to hear better. You will also notice that the ears begin to stand up. It is a natural development in their ears but does not occur all the time. They are safe from disease. It is a good age for them to start learning how to go outside, though you should still oversee them not to go off independently.

7-week old puppies

The nose and the paws are white and wet. It will undergo this change to be a darker brown color at this age. The ears are no longer soft-looking or floppy and stand up independently. The Dachshund has a very well-developed eye muscle group that results in the pup’s eyes opening on their own towards the 7-week mark. The opening of your Dachshund’s eyes is highly dependant on their environment and how the pup is being raised. It would help if you took Dachshunds through the steps of obedience training at about this age. You will want to start with short sessions and few commands. 

2-month-old puppies

By this time, the dog’s brain and nervous system begin to develop, and the skeletal system is reaching its full development. The Dachshund does not reach adulthood until about six years and cannot reproduce until they are four years old. It gets its first set of teeth at about six months of age.

3-month-old puppies

Most Dachshund puppies will be eating dry foods by this age. If your puppy has not yet been weaned from its mother’s milk by this age, you will want to make sure you provide lots of water for it. As they grow older and start eating food other than what the mother is feeding them, You should water them more often.

4-month-old puppies

A Dachshund puppy can get its first shot at this age. Make sure to keep track of your puppy’s shots to know which ones they have had and which ones are coming up in the future.

Some Behavior Changes For Dachshund Newborn Puppies 

For those new Dachshund puppy parents, and especially for the first-timers out there, monitoring your puppy’s behavior is a great way to judge his or her overall health.

When your puppy changes their sleeping patterns, eating habits, temperature regulation, and more, this should bring them to mind as being something unusual. It is especially true if the change is something that you have not noticed in puppies before, and it also seems out of the ordinary for your Dachshund puppy.

4-6 weeks of age. 

Like newborn puppies, they do not control their eyelids, so they close them tight to protect themselves from the harsh light when they wake up. They will open their eyes after some time during the first month of life and develop an adult-looking physique.

6-8 weeks.

They will start wagging their tails and get excited when they see people. They’ll be more energetic, curious, and playful. They’ll also want to explore their surroundings and may bark to let you know what they’re doing. You should expect many nips and bites from the puppy as they explore their mouth and body parts. They’ll also need to relieve themselves frequently.

10-12 weeks.

When the Dachshund puppy has gotten used to its surroundings, it will start playing with the other puppies and act more like a grown dog. At this point, you can start teaching them how to behave and give them commands they must follow. Be sure to check the Dachshund dog’s health because it is more susceptible to diseases during this time.

12-14 weeks.

The Dachshund puppy should have gained enough weight and will be able to run around in the yard efficiently. There are also expected behavioral changes between the first and second month which will start showing up. 

14-18 weeks.

Your Dachshund puppy will start looking like an adult dog and will act like one as well. The fully grown Dachshund will require less attention than a newborn puppy, and you can expect some of the dogs to grow bigger than you would expect because they overgrow during this time.

18-36 weeks

The Dachshund should now be close to growing up. The dogs are at their peak in development and start to gain weight if they look too thin or not enough if they appear very fat. By 7 – 8 months of age, your puppy has reached full maturity. The Dachshund will show personality changes, including their habits, playfulness, and responsiveness to your commands. At this stage, you should start training them on how to behave, or you may be taking the responsibilities of caring for them away from them when they become adults. 

Summary

When dachshund puppies are born, their eyes are closed. During the early part of their life, they rely on their senses of smell and hearing to understand the world around them.  

At about ten days old, dachshund puppies will begin to open their eyes. The left eye is usually the first to appear, and about a day later, the right eye will open. Dachshund puppy’s eyes may also leave small blood vessels that will make them appear red or pink for a few days after they open. Most veterinarians recommend a series of four core vaccines are given between ages six weeks and 16 weeks, called a puppy vaccination series.

As soon as they can see, dachshunds are quick learners and can take in as much information about what is around them as possible. It is vital to make sure that your Dachshund puppy is safe and has everything he needs while they are growing up. They stop growing once they reach adulthood.

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