Do Dogs See In Color? Not Quite Like Humans [2023]

What Does a dog’s Vision Look Like?

Do dogs see in color? It’s a good question. The short answer is, yes, dogs do see in color, but it’s not exactly the same as how humans do. They don’t see as many different shades of colors. And, they see fewer colors. Think of it kind of like a person with red-green colorblindness. They are still able to see blues and yellows, and some different shades of grey.

Dogs vs. human eyesight

Much research has been done into dogs’ sight and how it differs from us humans’. So when someone tells you “dogs can only see in black and white,” it’s not really true. It’s not really black and white that they see.

It’s so interesting, and there are some cool things to learn if you do have a dog and you’re wondering what colors they’ll like the best. Keep reading and we’ll get into the details.

Knowing which colors your dog can actually see can help you pick out the best dog toy for them. That will be a lot more enjoyable for your dog, and maybe easier for them to see, too.

Do Dogs See In Color?

What Color Do Dogs See Best?

Dogs can see yellow, blue, and grey as the best

According to behavioral testing, it seems that dogs can see yellow, blue, and grey the best. A dog’s vision can roughly be compared to a human who has red-green color blindness. That means they can not tell the difference between red and green.

Human eyes

Eyes that are attached to humans have three types of cones. Cones are cells in the eyes that differentiate colors. These can identify many different combinations of red, blue, and green.

Dog’s vision – dichromatic vision

Dogs, however, only have two types of these cones. Theirs can only identify different combinations of blue and yellow. The fancy name for this type of limited color perception is known as dichromatic vision.

Dogs can see blue and yellow

When it really comes down to the best color that dogs can see, the answer is anything that is blue or yellow. To a canine, shades of red and green will only show as different shades of gray.

What Color Do Dogs See In The Dark?

Why dogs can see better than humans at night

Dogs see much better at night compared to humans, that’s for sure. Why? It’s because their eyes have more rods (light-sensitive cells) than humans. In addition, they have a layer that humans don’t. It reflects light into the retina.

So, dogs don’t have magical night vision which allows them to see everything in total darkness. But, they do have eyes that let a lot more in compared to humans.

So they can see a lot more than people in dark situations. So maybe trust your dog next time you’re somewhere dark and he’s leading you somewhere, or perhaps away from somewhere.

Conclusion

You may have heard that ‘dogs only see in black and white.’ It just isn’t true. Do dogs see in color? Well, yes they kind of do. They may not see all of the beautiful colors of the rainbow like humans do, but that’s fine. They can still appreciate different colors and many different shades.

Their vision is simply very ‘different’ from a human’s. It’s not as colorful, but it’s definitely not just black and white. Dogs’ eyes are better in the dark than humans. Keep that in mind when you’re playing around with your flashlight.

Read more on our blog: What’s the best dog for a family?