Are Dogs Really Color Blind?
Debunking an urban myth
By Pet Health Network Contributors
Reviewed by Dr. Celeste Clements, DVM, DACVIM on Monday, August 3, 2015
Dogs are not completely color blind since they have a dichromaticcolor perception. Unlike humans who have three different colorsensitive cone cells in their retina (red, green and blue) dogs have only two (yellow and blue)[3,4]. This does not mean that dogs can't see green or red objects!
If you think the answer is “yes,” think again! Modern science has answered this age-old question: Dogs can see color, but not in the same way that we do. The palette of colors they can see is limited in comparison to ours; it is also less vibrant.
Eyes have “rods” and “cones” to help identify color. Rods tell us how bright or dim something is (black or white) and cones help us identify color. Humans have three kinds of cones, which help detect yellow, violet, and green.
Dogs only have two types of cones, so they see orange, yellow, and green as yellow. Blue-green is seen as white and red looks as though it is brownish-black. While they can see blue, they can’t distinguish shades, especially as the color blue gets darker. |