Key takeaways:
There has been a long-standing belief that dogs are colorblind and only see things in black and white.
Science on dog vision indicates that canines can see colors like blue and yellow, though less vividly than humans.
Dogs lack the cone in their vision that senses red light. Their vision relies more on rods, giving them better vision in dim light.
Do you ever wonder how your dog chooses their favorite toy? Is it the toy’s bright color? Can dogs even see color?
For many years, dogs were believed to see the world in shades of black and white. But, while dogs may not see all the colors humans do, it turns out they do see the world in color.
Are dogs really colorblind?
Yes and no. Dogs cannot see the entire spectrum of color. However, contrary to popular belief, pups are not completely colorblind. Having color blindness can mean being unable to see certain colors or not seeing any color at all.
It’s likely that dogs can’t really see red and green colors. Their vision is similar to humans who have red-green color blindness. The color red may be a dark-brownish gray or even black to a dog.
But dogs do have the ability to detect other colors, ranging from yellow to blue and some shades of violet.
Researchers believe there is a small range of blue-green colors that dogs can’t detect at all. For these colors, dogs probably only see grays and whites.
What colors do dogs see best?
Dogs see blue and yellow colors best. This may explain why some dogs love yellow tennis balls.
Your dog can also see purple, although it may appear very similar to blue. And green, orange, and yellow colors all appear yellowish to your furry friend.
Where does the idea come from that dogs are colorblind?
The idea that our canine companions only see the world in shades of black, white, and gray can be traced back to Captain Will Judy. Judy was a World War I veteran who spent his life educating people on the human-canine bond.
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In his 1937 manual, “Training the Dog,” Judy declared that dogs could probably only see things in shades of black and white.
The claim was reinforced in the 1960s when researchers said only primates — like humans and monkeys — could see color. There was no research to back this up at the time. And in fact, while dogs are partially colorblind, they can see color.
What is the difference between a dog's vision and what a human sees?
The biggest difference between what a dog sees and what a human sees comes down to the rods and cones in their eyes. Humans can see more colors but dogs can see better in dim light.
Rods are responsible for sight in dim light, while cones are responsible for differentiating shades of color. Researchers have found that dogs have fewer cones in their retinas. Thus, a dog’s vision relies more on rods, allowing them to see better in dim light. Since dogs evolved as nighttime hunters, their eyes developed to see well at night.
On the other hand, dogs only have two types of cones for seeing in color. People have three types of cones that cover red, yellow-green, and blue colors. Dogs lack the cones that sense red light. So while dogs can perceive color, they can’t see as wide a range of color as humans can.
Dogs’ vision, while not as colorful as humans’, gives them an advantage over humans at identifying objects moving at a fast pace. Their vision probably gave dogs an advantage as predators.
The bottom line
The long-held belief that dogs are colorblind and only see the world in shades of black and white is not true. Our canine companions may not see the full array of colors that we do. But they can see shades of blue, yellow, and a little purple. This is because dogs have two types of cones that differentiate color instead of humans’ three. Instead, dogs rely more heavily on rods, allowing them to see better in dim light. This helped them develop into skilled nighttime hunters.
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References
British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (2022). Are dogs colour blind? How dogs see colour.
Gerl, E. J., et al. (2008). The causes and consequences of color vision. Evolution: Education and Outreach.
Judy, W. (1958). Training the dog.
Llera, R., et al. (n.d.). Do dogs see color? VCA Animal Hospitals.
Miller, P. E., et al. (1995). Vision in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Miller, P. E. (2001). Vision in animals - What do dogs and cats see? Veterinary Information Network.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book. (2018). Will Judy.
Pumphrey, S. (2020). What colors can dog see? TuftsNow.
Siniscalchi, M., et al. (2017). Are dogs red-green colour blind? Royal Society Open Science.
