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When Do Rottweilers Go Into Heat? | 2024 Guide
Rottweilers are very popular among dog lovers all over the world. These dogs were originally bred for herding farm animals and pulling meat carts, but now they’re mostly known for being awesome pets.
Even though they can be quite the joy to have around, taking care of them requires certain knowledge and commitment.
Their reproductive behavior, especially a female Rottweiler being ready to mate with a male a.k.a going into heat, is an area that anybody who owns a Rottweiler should know about.
In this post, I’ll talk about when Rottweilers go into heat (both male and female) and how long it lasts, and how often they go into heat.
When Do Rottweilers Go Into Their First Heat?
When a dog goes into heat, it means that a female dog becomes willing and physiologically ready to mate with a male and can get pregnant.
All breeds of dogs belong to the same species, known as Domestic Dog (Canis familiaris). Sexual maturity of Domestic Dogs happens around six to twelve months of age for both males and females, but there are breed variations.
For a large breed like Rottweiler, it can be one to two years of age to go into their first heat.
When Do Female Rottweilers Go into Heat?
Female Rottweilers go through reproductive cycles called Estrous cycles, the doggy equivalent of the human menstruation cycle. A female dog’s Estrus cycle has four phases, namely:
- Proestrus
- Estrus
- Diestrus
- Anestrus
A female Rotti would appear to be on heat for an average dog owner during both Proestrus and Estrus phases, but it is in the Estrus phase that she is actually in heat, actively seeking males, spewing pheromones, and allowing approaching males to mate with her.
Female dogs will have their first estrus when their body is structurally and functionally ready to conceive, bear, and deliver puppies.
An average female dog will have her first estrus at the age of six months, but it varies with the breed. Dogs of small breeds who reach their full size faster go into their first heat at an earlier age.
Also Read: Can Rottweilers live in apartments?
Being quite large dogs, female Rottweilers need more time for their bodies to grow strong enough to bear puppies and deliver them without complications and tolerate the additional body weight a pregnancy results in.
An average female Rottweiler would go into heat for the first time around the age of one and a half to two years. And they go into heat every 4 – 6 months from thereon.
There are instances where a Rottweiler female will have her first estrus at an earlier age too, so owners should be aware of that.
Any owner who wishes to breed such a female Rottie would better wait for her second estrus to ensure that she will have a safe and successful pregnancy.
When Do Male Rottweilers Go Into Heat?
Male Rottweilers don’t go into heat. Sexually mature male Rottweilers (or male dogs of any breed) can mate at any given time, but they get aroused to do so only when they get a whiff of pheromones of a female in heat.
In other words, it is the females that go into heat, and when they do, they emit pheromones that make sexually mature Rottweilers go nuts with lust upon smelling them.
When a male Rottweiler catches the scent of a female in heat, they start seeking that female right away. They become restless, and aggressive towards other males, become less interested in food, and will scent mark territories by urinating, driven by only one purpose, mating.
Also Read: Can a Rottweiler kill a coyote?
There is hardly anything wrong with considering a male Rottweiler who is lustfully seeking a female in heat within proximity to be in the heat too.
In that sense, one could say a Male Rottie will first go into heat at the age of one and a half to two years, the usual age for this breed to have a fully developed and functional reproductive system. And like females, they go into heat twice a year or every 4 – 6 months.
How Long Are Rottweilers In Heat At A Time?
Even though a female Rottie is actually in heat during the estrus phase of her cycle, it is best to consider one to be in heat during both proestrus and estrus phases, especially in preventing unwanted pregnancies.
Because they can quickly move from proestrus to estrus and external signs of estrus are not as prominent as those of pro estrus, and males desire them during both.
Also Read: Do Rottweilers growl when happy?
Proestrus and estrus in Rottweiler females each will last for nine days on average but can vary between three days to three weeks.
So, it can be said that a female Rottweiler stays in heat for eighteen days on average at a time, but it can be for any duration from six days to six weeks.
Since male Rottweilers become interested in mating they can smell a female in heat, it can be said that they too stay in heat for eighteen days on average.
How Often Do Rottweilers Go Into Heat?
A female Rottweiler’s heat cycle is repeated at four to six-month intervals, but every dog is different, and it all comes down to the individual.
All In A Nutshell
Rottweiler females and males both become sexually mature or go into heat for the first time around the age of one to two years.
Mature female Rottweilers go through 4 phase estrus cycles, the canine equivalent of human menstruation. A female Rottie is actually in heat during estrus but can be considered so during both proestrus and estrus.
Male Rottweilers will seek to mate with the female in heat during both her proestrus and estrus too but be allowed by the female only during estrus. So, when a female is in heat, any male who can smell her pheromones becomes interested and kinda goes into heat too.
Rottweiler females stay in heat for eighteen days on average, with a range of six days to six weeks, so males show sexual interest in them too.
Rottie females go into heat at four to six-month intervals, making any male dog who can smell her go into heat (sort of) too, but the timing can be different for each individual.
