I remember when my family first began talking about getting a dog. Not only were we super excited but we also wanted to be super careful that we knew all the facts about the breed. Upon researching I remember discovering information and people telling me that dogs can’t see in color. I heard it from my neighbor and from a few sites on the internet back in the day. So this led me to wonder, are dogs actually colorblind? Or is it just a myth?

To answer the question in simple terms first the answer is no, dogs are not colorblind. And to answer this question in more complex terms then I will say that dogs can see in color but not the same way that humans do. The palette of colors they can see is limited in comparison to ours; it is also less vibrant, according to Pet Health Network.

Human eyes and dog eyes have “rods” and “cones” to help identify color. Cones in our eyes help us identify color and rods in our eyes help us tell how bright or dim something is, or in other words help us see things in black and weight. The difference between these rods and cones in humans and dogs is that humans have 3 kinds of cones in their eyes. These 3 cones help detect yellow, purple, and green. And dogs only have two types of cones so they see orange, yellow and green as yellow. According to Pet Health Network, Blue-green is seen as white and red looks as though it is brown.

So based on research and looking through articles it is certain that dogs can see colors just not to the extent that humans can see them. It is also impossible for us humans to look at the world through a pair of dogs eyes and to see colors and objects the way they would see them but in all honesty there is no reason for dogs to even see colors the way humans need to. Dogs don’t need to know when to stop at a red stop sign, they just need to know their owner is right next them, and dogs don’t need to know what color the ball is that you are throwing in the yard for them, they just need to get it fast and bring it back to you.

So if after reading this you find yourself melancholy for the poor dogs and their unable to experience the world in full color like we do, take a step back and calm down. Our dogs are happy if were happy! While we do share similarities in the way we see colors we do also share key differences, dogs can see colors just not in the way we see them.

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/are-dogs-color-blind

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-diseases-conditions-a-z/are-dogs-really-color-blind