Paulina KorczakThe Rottweiler is a powerful and heavy-boned dog initially bred to herd livestock. It has a short, smooth coat and comes in various colours and coat textures. The Rottweiler’s calm, confident, protective nature makes it a good family pet. Rottweiler is a more prolific (meaning they have more puppies during pregnancy) dog breed.
So, how many puppies can a Rottweiler have? This is a question that’s often asked and in this article, we will cover everything you need to know about a Rottweilers litter size!
How many puppies can a Rottweiler have?
Rottweilers generally produce between 6 and 12 puppies. The average litter size for a Rottweiler is eight puppies. This number can vary depending on your female dog’s size, age, and health. Rottweilers are a large breed, so they can have large litters.
Some females can have up to 10 puppies, while others may only have four or five puppies in their litter. The largest recorded litter size in Rottweiler is 18 puppies, while the smallest litter size is one puppy.
It’s important to remember that larger litters mean more care for the puppies and more work for the owner in training, feeding, and exercising them.
Video of a Rottweiler giving birth to 9 puppies
Below is a video showing a Rottweiler giving birth to a litter of 9 puppies! This is considered above average for a Rottweiler but as you can see, she is very large. It’s amazing to see such a beautiful mother, she’s one happy momma!
WARNING: The video below is very graphic.
How are Rottweilers able to have so many puppies?
Rottweilers can have such large litters because they have a very high reproductive rate, large size, muscular body, and high stamina levels. Rottweilers have a high fertility rate, which means they have a high chance of getting pregnant after mating.
The fertility rate of female Rottweilers ranges from 72% to 87%. It all starts with the female’s reproductive system. The ovaries are located on either side of the uterus and contain thousands of eggs at birth. Rottweilers have more ova in the ovary and are polyovualtors; hence they have a high reproductive capability to produce more pups than other dogs.
What influences a Rottweiler to be able to have lots of puppies?
There are numerous reasons to why Rottweilers are capable of having lots of puppies, we detail each of these reasons below.
Genetics
The first thing that influences how many puppies your Rottweiler can have is genetics. If you have a purebred Rottweiler, then there’s a good chance that he will have large litters of puppies because certain breeding lines have been developed over time to produce larger litters than other lines of breeding.
A purebred Rottweiler from one line of breeding might produce more than ten puppies at once, while another purebred from another line would only be able to produce 3 or 4 at once (or even less).
Inbreeding
Inbreeding can affect how many puppies a Rottweiler will have.
Inbreeding is often done by breeders trying to produce a specific type of puppy. The litter size is small in the case of inbreeding lines. Inbreeding is when two closely related dogs mate together. It increases the risk of genetic disorders occurring in offspring because there is less genetic diversity in an offspring’s genes than if the parents were not related to each other.
Size of the Rottweiler
The dog’s size is another factor that influences how many puppies it will produce in a litter. Bigger dogs tend to have larger litters than smaller ones. When it comes to the Rottweiler, this is especially true because they are considered an extra-large breed of dog that is muscular and a very fast runner.
Age of the Rottweiler
Older females produce more puppies than younger ones do. Dams Rottweiler has the largest litter size that reproduced from two to four years. But the first two litters are smaller than the latter. A Rottweiler under seven-year age has a smaller litter size.
Health Status
Your dog’s health is also essential for having lots of puppies. If a female dog isn’t fit and healthy, then there’s no way she can carry multiple puppies at once or even successfully give birth at all!
Nutrition
Having good nutrition and exercise throughout her life will help keep her body fit to produce strong and larger litter without any problems or complications.
Reproductive status
A female Rottweiler that hasn’t had any litters before tend to have fewer litters than those who already have puppies.
Weight
Females with a higher weight seem to have larger litters than those who weigh less than average or are underweight for their size.
How long is a Rottweiler pregnant on average?
The average gestation period (pregnancy) for female Rottweilers is 63 days (9 weeks). They usually give birth between 63 and 66 days after conception.
The length of pregnancy is measured from the date of conception. However, some Rottweilers only have one litter per year, while others may have two litters during that same period. It depends on how old the dog is and how often she was bred before giving birth to her previous litter. Some dogs may experience false pregnancies, which mean they will experience some pregnancy symptoms but do not become pregnant.
What are the signs that your Rottweiler is pregnant?
A female dog will begin showing signs of pregnancy between two and four weeks after mating. She may experience mood swings, weight gain, decrease activity, lethargy, restlessness, food cravings and nesting behaviour. Her nipples may also darken and enlarge as the pregnancy progresses.
Another sign that your Rottweiler is pregnant is behavioral changes. You may notice that she becomes more protective over her food bowl or toys and treats. She may also become more affectionate towards her owner and other family members. She may become more clingy than usual or start barking at things she usually ignores completely.
What is the largest Rottweiler litter?
The largest Rottweiler litter was 18 puppies, born to a single female known as “Terrie.” The new-born dogs are called the “pups,” Their mother is the “dam.” One puppy was a stillbirth, and one died after birth. The 16 puppies, including ten females and six males, were healthy and weighed 1.5 pounds each.
Conclusion: How many puppies can a Rottweiler have?
This article explored the question of how many puppies a Rottweiler can have. The average litter size for a Rottweiler is between six and twelve puppies. However, it can range from three to 16 puppies, depending on several factors such as genetics, age of the mother, and how much nutrition she receives during pregnancy.
If you consider getting a Rottweiler, it is important to consider these factors to know what to expect if you plan to allow your Rottweiler to become pregnant.
Paulina Korczak
