Written By : M Samy

Do Dogs See Colors ? all you need to know

Dogs obviously have their own way of seeing and distinguishing colors and their intensity, but don’t be fooled, the world they see is as beautiful as the one we humans see.

Dogs only see blue and yellow and their shades and all other colors appear to them in shades of gray of different intensity but their world remains beautiful and this does not affect the beauty of the world in their eyes.

do dogs see colors like us

Do Dogs See Colors?

colors that dogs can see

Unfortunately, dogs have what is called Dichromatic vision, which means that dogs have limited color perception and can only see the two colors yellow and blue clearly like humans.

Contrary to humans whose retina has three cones, that of dogs has only two cones which limits the differentiation of colors in canines but also reduces the clarity of color vision in dogs.

When humans see all these colors and their shades (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.), dogs when they see clearly and distinguish only the two colors Yellow and Blue and their shades.

So do dogs see colors or just black and hite! You know now that dogs see clearly the yellow, the blue and all their shades, and all other colors, dogs see them only in gray of different intensities (light gray, dark gray, ….etc).

Should I be sad because my dog only sees blue and yellow?

Of course not! Your dog was first born this way and he doesn’t suffer from color blindness but it’s just the way he sees colors and it’s the only world he knows.

Dogs don’t even know that there are other colors besides yellow, blue, white, gray and black and all their shades.

They are not sad to not see green, red, orange, etc., they do not know them and this does not spoil their life.

How to make life easier for my dog by choosing colors?

Of course , dogs have their favorite colors and you can make your dog’s life easier by choosing the color of the objects that surround him and that he uses daily, here are some examples:

  • It would be better to throw a yellow or blue ball or frisbee to your dog when you take him to play on a green lawn when you take him to the park.
  • If your dog loves to swim, avoid throwing a blue ball in the water, choose another color!
  • When you go for a walk in the woods with your dog, try to wear a yellow or blue T-shirt, or at least a yellow cap so that your dog will recognize you from a distance.
  • Don’t worry too much if your dog gets too close to the TV, the intensity of the light doesn’t hurt his eyes.
  • To make it easier for your dog during his training sessions , use toys, objects, and markings that are either yellow or blue in color so that your dog can concentrate more on the commands and not on distinguishing and reading his environment.
  • You can think about this kind of things to facilitate his interaction with his environment and the objects that your dog uses daily, I site, his bed, his toys, his kennel, his bowls ….
  • To finish, know that your dog does not need you to make this effort, because it also uses its sense of smell to distinguish objects, the colors are not as important in dogs as in humans.
  • What colors can Dogs Not See ?
  • Let’s be clear! when we say that dogs see only yellow and blue and their shades, this does not mean that they do not see objects painted with other colors!
  • The dogs see all the objects whatever their color! However, they only know the colors of the rainbow blue, yellow and their shades.
  • Dogs do not see the colors red, green and all their shades, everything that is in these two colors and their shades, dogs see it just gray in different intensities only (dark red or dark green, it will give dark gray for the dog, and the more the red or green, the orange color … etc. become clear, the dogs apperceive them in light gray … etc.)

What color do dogs see humans ? 

So, what do dogs see when they look at humans ! 

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When you have light or yellow hair, your dog sees it as it is, he also sees when you have blue eyes and your dog clearly distinguishes your clothes when they are yellow, blue or stained with one of their shades, sky blue, azure, light yellow, golden yellow …etc

Dogs see purple and its shades almost exactly as they see blue, the purple will appear blue to them but with less intensity.

But if your eyes are green, your dog sees them of yellowish color, same for the green clothing, red and all their nuances, the garnet, the orange color, pink, …. Etc! Your dog sees gray, dark gray or black, when it is an object of dark red color.

The dog sees the white, gray and black exactly as we do, but with a lesser intensity, dogs do not see for example the snow as white and bright as we see it, the dog when it, it sees the snow only a white pal, he will not need glasses to go skiing for example!

What colors do dogs see in the dark ?

Dogs have in their retinas, more rod sells, which are very sensitive to light and movement when it is dark, which makes their night vision better than that of humans.

When you can’t see anything at night, your dog will be able to detect the slightest movement and the slightest reflection of light, not to mention his other senses of hearing and smell which are much more developed than in humans.

When it comes to colors, dogs see everything almost in gray when they are in the dark, they use more their sense of smell to distinguish objects when they are close to him.

Why do dogs see this way?

Dogs’ vision is perfect for them and nature didn’t make a mistake when it endowed them with two cones in the retina and many more rod cells than in humans.

Dogs, like wolves, are naturally nocturnal hunters and evolution has given them this vision to give them an advantage over their prey when it is dark.

During the day, dogs see less intense lights so as not to harm their retina and to keep it operational and to protect it from the intense rays of the sun so as not to deprive them of their advantage at night.

Lets wrap all this up

So don’t be sad for your dog, and never say to yourself that your dog doesn’t see the beauty of life, they are born with a vision of their own, they don’t know other colors than blue, yellow, grey, white and black and this is their world.

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M Samy pet blogger and author at famillypet

About Author

Hey! Samy here , Welcome to my Blog I'm an animal lover, especially pets and Really concerned about their well being ; I've been around and caring for all my life and Now ; a full-time Pet blogger at your service . My motto here at Famillypet is: "Pets First" ... Read More