Question: My dog likes to play with his toys. I have noticed that he likes his blue toys the best. Do dogs see in color?
Answer: Dogs have different vision than humans. The type of cells that make up the retina in a dog is different in dogs. Dogs have more rod cells and less cone cells. The cone cells help dogs see in color but they can?t see as many colors and the colors may not be as vibrant as humans see them.
Dogs may have trouble distinguishing between red and green. They may see shades of blue-green as gray. It is hard to know, since dogs cannot respond verbally to conventional vision tests the way that humans can.
We do know dogs and cats can see better at night. They have more rod cells and a structure called a tapetum in the back of the eye. The tapetum acts like a mirror and reflects more light into the eye so that they can see in low light. When you take a flash picture of your dog you will see the bright yellow or orange color in your dogs eye from the light being reflected back. Human eyes tend to look red with a flash picture due to the blood vessels in the back of the eye.
Dogs may be able to see movement better than humans, particularly at a distance. They can detect a larger array of gray scale. However, still objects can be difficult for dogs to see unless they are close up. Dogs rely more on their fabulous sense of smell to help them identify objects.
Some people believe that dogs may actually be identifying their toys more by sense of smell than color. However, many owners have told me that their dogs have the same exact toy in different colors and their dog will fetch the correct color toy by voice command.
Dr. Baker
Baker Veterinary Clinic
1801 S. Congress Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Read more articles by Dr. Baker | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2012/03/15/dog-likes-blue-toys-can-dogs-see-colors/
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