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Lovable Labradors

Lab Puppies – When Do They Open Their Eyes?

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When do Lab puppies open their eyes? Do chocolate Lab pups open their eyes earlier than black or yellow Lab pups? You took your children to see Lab puppies that were for sale, and now the children are full of questions.

When do Lab puppies open their eyes, Dad? When do Lab puppies open their eyes, Mom?

Open Your Eyes

Lab puppies open their eyes when they are 2 to 4 weeks old. It may be different for puppies in the same litter. Just as human babies develop at different rates, so do Lab pups.

Before the eyes open, Lab puppies cannot see anything. It is almost as though there were no eyes. When the eyes do open for the first time, the pup will see only fuzzy shapes. Gradually, the fuzziness will clear, and each pup will be able to see its litter mates and its parents.

Even though the eyes are not opened at first, Lab pups can feel and taste very well. They know their mother. Her milk and the touch of her tongue fill their perceived needs. They don’t care about humans at this age.

Open Your Ears

As with the eyes, Lab puppies’ ears begin to hear things sometime between the second and fourth week of life. In these early weeks, the development of other abilities also occurs.

  • sense of smell
  • standing
  • walking a few steps
  • barking (yipping)
  • wagging the tail
  • getting new teeth

Make Friends

When Lab pups open their eyes, it is time to socialize them. Give opportunity for them to be handled by a number of people. It is good if the people can be male and female, young and old. Show them how to hold the Lab pup safely, and pass it around. Every time the Lab pup is held, the holder should play with its paw pads, its tail, and its ears. Pet the Lab puppies on every part of their bodies so they are not afraid of people.

Make occasions for the new Lab pup to meet and interact with other dogs. If you introduce it to cats, do so cautiously. Cats can seriously injure a Lab pup’s eyes with one swipe of a paw.

The Greatest Influence

A Lab pup is influenced by many things during the first few months of life. As changes occur in its body, the things that influence it also change. The following information is courtesy of the USSPCA.

  • 0 – 2 weeks: most influenced by its mother.
  • 2 – 4 weeks: influenced by its mother and littermates.
  • 4 – 6 weeks: most influenced by its littermates.
  • 4 – 12 weeks: most influenced by their littermates and the humans around them.

Since most people buy a Lab pup when it is about 8 weeks old, it will already have learned much from its mother and littermates about being a dog. It will have learned from the people around it whether humans should be trusted or feared.

Filed Under: Labrador Puppies, Featured Posts Tagged With: AKC, American Kennel Club, Black Lab, Chocolate Lab, Lab Puppies, Labrador, Retriever, Yellow Lab, black labrador puppy, golden lab, information on Labradors, labrador retriever, open their eyes, puppy

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Comments

  1. carolinatan1@aol.com'kristina says

    November 12, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    hey there guys. well we have a litter of 11. wow right. they were born 11-7-11. sweet babies. to answer a few questions..well the feeding of an orphaned pup, make sure u feed every two hours. make sure the puppy is in normal feeding position. not on its back, if so it will have the food come out its nose and then aspirate into the lungs and then there will be serious problems. eyes usually take between 2-4 weeks to open.The problem with defication..well as you feed them you need to make sure that you are wiping their bottoms with a moist cottonball or washcloth and rubbing gently, as this will trigger defication.thats what mommy would do. and to ASH. yes a 21 day old puppy was too young. you are basically looking at a 3 week old pup…way too young. but if you care for that pup diligently it will be fine. dont recommend taking any pup until 6 weeks for health reasons. hope this was helpful..thanks guys!!! enjoy your babies!

  2. megaman4@yahoo.com'megan says

    June 2, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    how old do labs have to be before separated from their mother

  3. djon229@aol.com'Dee Jone@Luv says

    April 23, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    We have a chocolate lab that just gave birth to 6 pups (4 black and 2 chocolates). They are so cute and I was wanting to know when their eyes would open but from reading I see that others are asking the same thing. They are 13 days old today and the way they use thier their little noses is amazing. The mother is very smart and the same two can walk pretty good and keep getting lost:) This is an exciting adventure!

  4. janny.sirisukha@hotmail.com'Jenny says

    March 31, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    To ash
    Look at what ur giving it look at the cover to see if it contains a lot of sugar if so get a nother brand with less sugar and if not than give him some more stuff to do buy some toys or take walks so he won’t be lazy

  5. ashwinibharadwaj@ymail.com'ash says

    January 30, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    hey ,
    I bought a male choc lab puppy which is 21 day’s old, is it too early a separation from his mother?? also what should i feed him?? he sleeps a lot, is that a problem??

  6. dorygreen@hotmail.com'Doreen says

    November 24, 2010 at 4:43 am

    I took in an orphaned 2 day old choc lab pup. He is now 3 weeks old and his eyes still don’t look close to opening. Vet seems unsure of what to do and I am having a hard time making him defecate more than 1 time a day. Vets office is quite tired of me bringing him in to be checked and tell me its fine as long as its at least 1 time a day. I usually have to stimulate with a thermometer to get him to do that. Should I be concerned with eyes? Should I be concerned with defecation? I give a little Karo syrup in 2 bottles a day to keep poop soft. Help!

  7. eliselefay@petlover.com'Elise says

    April 9, 2010 at 7:47 am

    My Black Lab just had 7 babies! they are already taking their first steps at 10 days. now we are waiting for the eyes. (Born January 30th 2010)

  8. martin44454@yahoo.com'martin says

    August 6, 2009 at 2:03 am

    how much time does a labrodor have to be with is mom

  9. mberry_rac@yahoo.com'mandy says

    August 6, 2009 at 1:15 am

    We are raising three orphaned lab pups that are 15days old. They have not yet opened their eyes either. Vet said be patient, usually up to 4weeks. Good luck

  10. gncaro@roadrunner.com'Kika says

    April 25, 2009 at 6:16 pm

    Hello,

    How old were your Lab puppies when they opened their eyes? my 8 labs are 2 weeks today and they still have their eyes shut, should I woried?

    Thanks!

  11. salliebrennan@hotmail.com'sallie says

    March 12, 2009 at 4:53 pm

    should babies be in a darken area until their eyes open? Reason for asking our lab had 8 puppies this past Tuesday (3-10-2009) And not sure if i should get them in a darken area they were born on my side of the bed room and it was not that dark, mostly when we turn on the light in the room, Worried that it could harm them if they are to be in darken area.It was great watching them come in to the world, brought back memories for me and my youngest daughter and husband got a great enjoy out of watching for the first time. anyway that was my question. sorry i am going on and on. very excited.

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