how-do-dogs-see-color

You see the world in a bright color but does your dog? Have you ever wondered how dogs see color? If only dogs could talk, they could describe things for us, but unfortunately, only research can ascertain the truth.

The myth we’ve always believed is that dogs are color blind and see everything in just black or white. In recent years different research teams have been using experiments to test this theory. It seems that dogs can distinguish different colors and their vision is more colorful than we knew.

 

Research

A study was done by Jan Neitz at the University of California, Santa Barbara. This study indicates that dogs can see colors but not the wide range of colors that humans do.

In this experiment light panel testing was used to see if dogs could differentiate between different colors. One of the panels was a different color from the rest, and the dog was rewarded if it found the one that was different.

The experiment showed that dogs see colors in varying shades of blue, yellow and gray. Greens, yellows, and oranges appear to them as a shade of yellow. Violet and blue appear as blue and red do not appear in their color range at all.

Another common belief was that dogs did not use color to differentiate between objects. But instead, were guided by the brightness or darkness of objects.

But research done by Russian scientists for The Royal Society B in 2013 was a little different. It was specifically intended to prove that the darkness or brightness of an object was less relevant than the color perceived by the dog. They used pieces of different color paper leading to a reward of a piece of meat. The paper colors were a combination of color and shade, for example, a dark blue with a light yellow.

There were two stages to the study, and after the second stage, the evidence was clear. The dogs understood that the color rather than the brightness or darkness of the paper shown would lead them to their reward.

Even though the experiment was on a limited number of dogs, the results were quite clear. All of the dogs went for the color of paper that led them to the reward 70% of the time. And almost all of them chose that paper every time, rather than choosing by brightness.

 

Why Does This Happen?

Researchers believe that the reason for the variety of colors that dogs can see is because humans and dogs (and mammals in general) have certain cells which are receptive to light and are called cones. These are responsible for color vision and give humans the ability to see primary colors of red, blue and yellow.

Humans have three different cones. These give us the wide variety of colors we can perceive, whereas dogs only have two cones. This means they can still see colors, but the range is smaller than humans. This can be compared to the red-green color blindness concept in humans. In this respect, people who have this do not have the three cones usual in humans.

 

Dogs As Family

Pets, and in particular dogs are playing a larger part in human society than before. Owners are treating their dogs as a real part of the family. And in many cases just as important as their children or even as substitute children.

So often we see stories of dog weddings, dog funerals, dog parties and so many other occasions where dogs are acting in a human role. The love their owners have for them is similar to a parent’s love for a child.

The pet products industry is continuing to grow as more people, especially millennials, have dogs as their family instead of children. These owners buy every latest gadget and toy for their “fur babies” and want only the best for their dog.

 

Picking Toys

They’re therefore looking for toys for their “fur babies” that are really good quality and particularly attractive to the dog. The dog toy industry has grown enormously. Toy manufacturers are looking to produce toys that are the most inviting for dogs.

If owners are aware of the range of colors that the dog can perceive, rather than just black and white, then it makes sense for them to choose the colors that dogs can see the most clearly.

For example one of the colors that the dog can see in its variations is blue. Therefore, a blue toy is going to easier for them to see. Dog toys are produced in many different colors because humans are the ones that buy them. And humans are attracted to a wider range of colors.

For example, humans may see a lovely red squeaky toy in a shop. They may think that the color will be easier for the dog to see. But the dog will see the color red as a dark gray. This is because their color options are different shades of blue, gray and yellow.

If humans were more aware of the variety of colors that dogs can see, it raises an interesting question. Would humans buy the toys in the colors they like or that the dog can see best?

 

You May Also Interested In: 10 Best Dog Toys Reviews and Buyer Guide

 

Training

An understanding of how dogs see color is also essential in the area of training dogs. To be able to choose a training tool in a color that is most visible to the dog would be a big advantage to a trainer.

If you’re trying to train a dog in a park with grass, it would be much more productive to use a throw toy that is visible against the background of the green grass.

Therefore the best color would be blue. You would be wasting a lot of time throwing a red toy as the dog may not be able to distinguish it from the grass and will probably miss it.

It seems quite clear from the research that how dogs see color is quite different from what we’ve always thought and from how we look at colors.

Dogs are becoming a more integral part of our families. Therefore, it’s helpful to know what colors are the most distinguishable for dogs when buying toys and training tools.

So, Red for you or blue for the dog?

 

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