Just like children, all milestones are fun to document. Lets face it, our dogs are like our children to us. Those baby blues in children are an exciting moment in their life. Puppies have their baby blues too. Typically for most puppies eyes begin to open from 7 days to 14 days old. Many golden retriever breeders state that most of their puppies open their eyes around 12 days. Give a take a few days.

A puppy may open only one eye at a time, but that’s not alway the case. When they do, their eyes appear a uniform shade of blue. That is because the eyes lack melanin. As they grow, around 3-4 weeks, their irises gain more melanin and turn to their lifelong color. In the case of goldens, their eye color will become medium to dark brown. In the case of English Cream Golden Retrievers, generally they will become dark brown.

Along with their sight, hearing also begins. Around two weeks of age, they start hearing different sounds. As they begin to hear new things they may become startled. When talking to them you might see that they jump at the sound of your voice. Even walking into the room may startle them.

Another growth milestone occurs shortly after birth. Around the second day you can see that golden retrievers noses start gaining pigment. Each day their noses, and even toes will begin to darken. They will darken until they become black.