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What Colors Do Dogs See?

  4 min read



  By Monica Weymouth


  In some ways, humans and dogs see the world very differently. What you
  perceive as a fire hydrant, your dog sees as a can’t-miss communication
  center. It may look like an ordinary vacuum cleaner to you, but your
  pooch obviously detects something more sinister lurking in the closet.


  One thing we do have in common with our four-legged friends? We see the
  world in color.


Are Dogs Color Blind?


  Although early research suggested that dogs were unable to perceive
  color, the popular notion that dogs see in black and white turns out to
  be nothing more than an oft-repeated myth.


  “Contrary to popular belief, dogs can see color, too,” says Dr. Shelby
  Reinstein, a veterinary ophthalmologist at Veterinary Specialty and
  Emergency Center in Pennsylvania. “Color vision is possible due to
  specialized types of photoreceptor cells in the retina called
  cones. When these cells are stimulated, they transmit a signal to the
  brain, which is perceived as a particular color. Humans possess three
  types of cones. On the other hand, dogs possess two types of cones, so
  their ability to perceive colors is limited compared to humans.”


  Humans have blue, red, and green cones, whereas dogs have a blue cone
  and a visual pigment that falls between a human red and green,
  describes Dr. Gustave Aguire, professor of medical genetics and
  ophthalmology at PennVet. “The eye really is complex, and the retina is
  an extremely beautifully organized structure meant for capturing
  light,” he says.


  In comparison to rods, cones also excel when it comes to the ability to
  see fine detail. Therefore, people are better able to make out the
  minutia of things seen up close in comparison to dogs.


Can Dogs See Color?


  So what exactly is your pup seeing at the dog park? Even without being
  able to interpret every hue, his afternoon isn’t all that different
  from yours—especially if you experience a form of color blindness. “Dog
  color vision is quite similar to a person who has red-green color
  blindness,” explains Reinstein. “Dogs see shades of blue, yellow and
  green, which when combined, can be perceived as grayish brown, dark
  yellow, light yellow, grayish yellow, light blue and dark blue. This
  probably explains why dogs love chasing a bright yellow tennis ball on
  the green grass under the blue sky.”


  Sight, of course, is much more complex than color—it’s not just about
  the colors of the rainbow, but the arc of the rainbow, the sharpness,
  the plane flying through it. While the human eye has advantages when it
  comes to perceiving some colors and fine detail, in other environments,
  canines have the upper hand. “While we do not think that dogs can focus
  as clearly on close objects, and therefore rely on smell and taste, we
  know that they are able to see better in dim light,” says Beale. “They
  possess more rod photoreceptors for dim lighting in the middle of their
  retinas and have a tapetum lucidum that reflects light through the
  retina twice—we see this as dogs' eyes shining in the dark.” Rods are
  also better at picking up movement than are cones. So, if your dog
  appears to be tracking something at a distance, particularly in dim
  light, you should pay attention.


  “Even though a dog’s vision palette isn’t as vibrant as ours, their
  other senses are so heightened,” adds petMD trainer Victoria Schade.
  Take, for instance, a dog’s keen sense of smell. Dr. Katy Nelson,
  veterinary expert for petMD, shares an example of smelling a bowl of
  salad. “We would smell the salad and maybe the salad dressing,” she
  says. “If a dog smells that same salad, he’s going to walk up and smell
  the tomatoes, and the cucumbers, and the specific type of lettuce, and
  anything else you put in there. He’s going to smell all of those
  individual smells.”


  While researchers believe that all breeds perceive roughly the same
  spectrum of colors, other components of sight do vary depending on
  anatomy and size, which can differ wildly when it comes to dogs.
  “Certainly the perspective differs between a Great Dane and a
  Chihuahua,” says Dr. Brady Beale, a clinical instructor
  of ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania’s PennVet.
  “Additionally, the position of the eyes on the head of the dog varies
  between breeds. If eyes are close together and a nose is relatively
  short, there will be a bigger overlap in the visual fields of the two
  eyes. This is called binocular vision, and larger overlap would provide
  more information for depth perception.”


  So if you’ve been wondering whether dogs can see colors or if dogs can
  see in relative darkness, the answer is simple—yes. While their vision
  capabilities are slightly different than humans and they can see better
  in low light settings, dogs generally experience the world of sight in
  a similar way to their two-legged counterparts.


  Even if their ability to perceive color is limited, “I certainly don’t
  think that changes their perception of the world by any means,” Nelson
  says. “I do feel like they get the full experience of it out there.”


  Image: [80]Annette Shaff via Shutterstock

tapetum

  A single layer of cells

retina

  The layer of the eye that is charged with receiving and processing
  images

ophthalmologist

  A professional skilled in the study of the eye

genetics

  The study of the laws of inheritance n living things; may also be
  referred to as breeding

ophthalmology

  The study of the parts and health of the eye



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