Imagine a world without color? It is thought by many that dogs can not see in color. If that is the case, why do some people end up dressing their dog in pretty colors and clothing? Well… that’s just for show for the dog owners of course!
Back to the question. Can dogs see color? Let’s take our search to the professionals and see what some of the top web sites and veterinarians out there are saying.
Psychology Today has a great write up on the color vision of dogs, and actually goes into great detail on what colors dogs can actually see:
Probably one of the most frequently asked questions about dog’s vision is whether dogs see colors. The simple answer-namely that dogs are colorblind-has been misinterpreted by people as meaning that dogs see no color, but only shades of gray. This is wrong. Dogs do see colors, but the colors that they see are neither as rich nor as many as those seen by humans.
The article goes further into detail, but one of the most highlighting parts is when they show the vision color chart of a dog versus human. Through the chart on their web site, you can get the best idea of how dogs really see color. It’s very clear that dogs can see color, but they are quite limited in comparison to the colors we can see.
To dive even further into the question, ColBlindor asks the following questions to their readers:
- Can dogs see colors? — Answer: Yes
- Are dogs colorblind? — Answer: Yes
ColBlinder then goes into detail on each question, but in short… Yes, dogs can see colors, but since they are limited in the colors they see, they are also considered color blind.
Now, the next time someone starts talking all smart and saying dogs can’t see colors, you can prove them wrong!
