Life Is More Beautiful With Colors Around Us

With that in mind, you’ve probably wondered, “Are dogs colorblind?” Whether your dog sees the same colors that you see or not, we’ll find out in this article!

The short answer is no. Contrary to previous conclusions, dogs are not colorblind. They see more than just black, white, and gray. While they do see colors, they don’t see much as humans do.

Dogs Can See Some Colors

According to studies, canines can see color fields of blues, yellows, and violets. Unfortunately, our four-legged best friends are not as effective as we are in detecting colors that include reds, oranges, and greens. When dogs see these colors, they see them in the yellow or blue spectrum.
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Recent research has dispelled the long-held belief that dogs only see black and white. It’s worth noting that this belief started way back in 1937 when Will Judy, the founder of National Dog Week, wrote in his training manual that dogs likely see shades of gray and black.

The incorrect conclusion was perpetuated during the 1960s where researchers commonly believe that only primates can perceive color. It was only in 2013 when Russian researchers proved that dogs can distinguish the difference between blue and yellow.

Anatomically speaking, canines and humans have both rods and cones. The difference is that humans have more cones while dogs have more rods. Cones are responsible for sharp visual detail. So, the more cones you have, the sharper your vision is. That’s why humans have a wider color spectrum compared to dogs.

However, it’s not all bad news for them. Dogs are not colorblind, and having more rods means that they can detect more light. As a result, dogs have better night vision compared to humans and they have more superior movement tracking capabilities than us.

So, Why Is This Important For Dog Owners?

Understanding how your dog sees things could help you better take care of them. So, if you’re going to buy something for your dog, choose colors blue, yellow, and violet for them to see the object better.

Moreover, it would be difficult to let your dog play fetch if you throw him an orange ball on the green grass. For him, he is seeing a yellow ball against a yellow background. Thankfully, your dog can still track the ball due to its superb motion-detection ability. But still, if you want to give your dog an easier time finding the ball, then choose colors that they can easily see.

Final Thoughts On the Belief that Dogs Are Colorblind

Canine vision is an interesting topic. There is more to know about what dogs can see. The more you understand this physiologic capability, the better you’ll be able to take care of him.

So, if you want to learn more, speak to your vet as they can tell you more about dog vision. You can also do your own research to find out more details about this topic.