Dogs see in black and white!
No, Dogs Do Not See In Black And White
Okay, not really. But they do see differently than humans. For one, their retinas can only see two colors: blue-violet and yellow. Everything else is shades of gray. This makes it a bit harder for them to distinguish between different colors, but they make up for it by being able to identify smells, textures, and luminance.
Dogs also have better peripheral vision than humans. So while we’re busy trying to focus on what’s right in front of us, dogs are taking in everything around them. This also comes in handy when they’re trying to navigate in the dark – they have much better night vision than ninjas.
Depth perception can be a bit of a challenge for dogs, and they may also be near-sighted compared to humans. But overall, their vision is pretty good! And just like us, different breeds of dogs see differently. For example, Labradors Retrievers have better vision than most other breeds of dogs.
Do Dogs Prefer Blondes?
The easiest colors for dogs to see are blue and yellow. Reds, greens, oranges, purples and browns look gray to them. So if you’re looking for something that will stand out brightly against a green background, it’s best to go with something yellow or blue. As humans we look pretty much gray to our canine companions. But they can probably see blonde hair!
So the next time you’re out walking your dog, keep all of this in mind! And be sure to thank your pooch for being such a great sidekick – even if they can’t always tell the difference between green and red 🙂
By the way, here’s a great video if you’d like to gain a little more appreciation for your dog’s vision.
