When you’re out walking your dog, the vibrant hues of the world—green grass, blue sky, and yellow sun—are part of your visual experience. But how does your dog perceive these colors?
For years, it was commonly believed that dogs see only in black and white. However, recent research has challenged this notion and provided new insights into canine vision.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, color vision in humans is facilitated by three types of cones in the retina: red-sensing, green-sensing, and blue-sensing. These cones allow us to perceive a wide range of colors. In contrast, dogs have only two types of cones, which can detect blue and yellow hues, as reported by VCA Animal Hospitals. This condition is known as "dichromatic vision."
Without red-sensing cones, dogs’ color perception resembles that of a person with red-green color blindness, a condition studied by Jay Neitz, a color vision researcher at the University of Washington. Such individuals often confuse colors; for example, red may appear as black or brown, and green may be perceived as yellow. Similarly, dogs may see a red ball as brown and a green toy as yellowish, according to the American Kennel Club.
Beyond color perception, dogs have several other visual differences compared to humans. VCA Animal Hospitals notes that dogs are more near-sighted, meaning that objects at a distance may appear blurrier to them. However, they have superior peripheral vision and a wider field of view, though their depth perception is less precise.
Dogs are less sensitive to changes in brightness. Therefore, while humans can distinguish subtle shades, dogs see these variations as more muted.
