Have you ever wondered if your dog can see colors like humans can? Finding out what dogs can see can be a bit difficult, but some new research is providing some interesting insight. So, do dogs see color?

What Colors Do Dogs See?

A common dog myth is that dogs can only see in black and white. However, dogs can see color, but just not in the same way humans can. Humans have three different types of color-seeing cells (also called cones) while dogs only have two.

Because humans have three types of cones, they see the whole color spectrum with lots of variations and richness. Dogs can see some color but it’s a lot more muted and usually only shades of blues, yellows, and gray.

This is called dichromatic vision and colors like red and orange tend to look gray to dogs. The color green may appear white. Dogs also can’t tell the difference between shades of color either. Blue just looks blue, whether it’s a dark or light shade.

Are Dogs Colorblind?

Color blindness is a term that describes differences in the ability to recognize color. In humans, color blindness is determined based on what color receptors are affected. There are two types of color blindness, red-green and blue-yellow. This means a person with red-green color blindness cannot see the difference between red and green and the same goes for blue-yellow color blindness.

Even though dogs can’t see as many colors as humans, they are not considered to be colorblind in the same way humans with color blindness are. Since dogs have dichromatic vision, their vision is quite similar to someone who has red-green color blindness.

3 Differences Between Dog Vision and Human Vision

There are a few differences between dog vision and human vision.

1. They Don’t Have as Much Visual Sharpness

Dogs’ perception of color is not the only difference in vision from a human’s vision. Dogs aren’t quite as sensitive to brightness as humans so they don’t see the full sharpness of color. In daylight, a dog’s vision is almost 50% less sharp than a human’s, so objects often appear blurry to them.

2. Dogs Tend to be Nearsighted

Dogs can see objects up close fairly well but struggle with objects that are far away. This is known as nearsightedness which some humans may experience. While it’s impossible to test a dog’s vision like a human’s vision is tested, it is thought that a dog’s vision is 20/75. This means they have to be 20 feet from an object to see it but a human could see it from 75 feet away.

3. Dogs Can See in the Dark

Thanks to the anatomical differences in a dog’s eyes, they can see in low light or darkness. Despite having a few color-seeing cones in their eyes, they have more rods in their eyes. Rods are sensitive to dim light, movement, and shapes. This means dogs can see small movements and sense predators or strangers.

Dogs also have larger pupils which allow more light into their eyes and enable them to see much better in the dark. They also have a layer of reflective cells in the back of the eye called the tapetum lucidum.

These cells work like a mirror within the eye by reflecting the light that passes through, which gives the retina another opportunity to process the light. This is what gives the dog the ability to see objects in dim or low light.

If you walk your dog at night, be sure to pay attention to your dog’s behavior. They’ll be able to see things or animals you can’t and they may be on high alert. Your dog may become nervous and uncomfortable. Paying attention to your dog’s behavior is a safety tip for walking your dog in the dark.

Does Dog Breed Affect Vision?

Most dogs’ eyes sit towards the sides of their head, giving them a wide range of vision. However, some breeds’ eyes are located in different spots. If a dog has a long nose and narrow head, then they have a smaller binocular field of vision but a larger field of peripheral vision. Brachycephalic breeds, like Pugs, have a much wider binocular field division, but much more narrow peripheral vision.

So, do dogs see color? Although it’s not the same breadth of colors as humans, they do. Having a good grasp on your dog’s vision can help understand how they see their surroundings. It can also help you better understand their behavior and better accommodate them.