Introduction

Dogs are not colour blind, but they have their unique colour spectrum in which yellow, blue, and violet are more prominent. People believed that dogs could only see in black and white. Have you ever thought can dogs see in the same way as we humans do? After new research, science has proved that dogs and humans have particular perspectives on seeing colours.

There are two types of cells in the eye’s retina: cones and rods. The cones differentiate the colours while the rods work in low light and catch the motion. Human beings have three types of cone cells in their eyes, making them capable of identifying red, blue, and green colour combinations, creating them trichromatic. On the other hand, dogs only have two types of cones and more rods, which mean they can only perceive blue and yellow colours. It makes dichromatic vision for dogs.

How does dog vision differ from human vision?

What’s the truth about dog colour blindness? Most pet owners are eager to find its answer. The vision of dogs is different from human beings. People who consider dogs as colour blinds should know that dogs can see anything other than black, white, and grey, but this spectrum is limited. Human beings have a sharp vision and broad colour spectrum in which they can see every minute detail because they have more cones in their eyes. When a dog sees any picture, the dominant colours will be yellow and blue. Dogs are not able to distinguish between red and green colours. These colours will appear similar to brown and grey to the dog’s vision.

Do dogs see only in black and white? 

No, it isn’t true that dogs can only see black and white. Dogs have a unique colour spectrum, and they perceive the colours differently than human beings. Dogs can only see blue, yellow, and shades of grey colours. You can notice this phenomenon when your dog plays with any coloured object. Dogs perceive red colour as a dark brownish-grey or black. While orange, yellow, and green colours appear yellowish to dogs. Dogs can see blue colour while unable to distinguish between red and yellow.

How many colours can a dog see? 

Dogs can’t see through a vast spectrum of colours as humans do. If you wonder what colours dogs see in, dogs can see yellow, blue, and shades of grey. If you talk about bright red or green colours, they appear brownish-grey to a dog. You’re mistaken if you think you can attract your dog to a red toy. When selecting anything for your dog, you must go for yellow or blue colours because both these colours are dominant for dogs.

What colour do dogs see best?

The best colour for dogs to see is yellow, blue, and shades of grey. Dogs can’t distinguish between red and yellow colours. Red and its shades will appear brownish-grey to a dog. A dog will perceive yellow, green, and orange as a yellow colour. However, blue and green will appear a different shade of blue to a dog. When playing, you throw the red and yellow ball towards your buddy at the same time and ask him to catch a particular coloured ball. You will think why the dog has become crazy by going towards the yellow colour while ignoring the red. But that’s not the case. Due to their strong sense of smell, dogs avoid colour mix-ups when asked to catch a particular coloured ball. 

What colours can dogs not see?

Dogs can’t perceive green or red colour or any shade of the two such as purple, orange or pink. The red colour will appear brown to your dog, while the orange colour, a mix of red and yellow, will be perceived as brownish-yellow by a dog. It clearly shows that your dog can only see blue, yellow, brown, and the shades of grey but not green, red, or any of its combination colours.

What Does This Mean to You and Your Dog?

After understanding the particular colour spectrum of dogs, I am sure now you have understood why dogs don’t see specific colours. The particular colour perception of dogs will help you choose the specific coloured products for your dog. Dog owners get attracted towards red or orange colours while selecting the toys for their dogs. However, these two colours are not distinguished by the dogs. So, anything with yellow or blue will work for you. Now you know the reason behind the dog’s attraction towards yellow colour while its disliking towards red or pink. Never go for the red colour whenever you are playing or having fun with your dog because it will lose your dog’s interest in the game. If you intend to give your dog obedience training, you must select blue and yellow coloured toys for better training results.