If you’ve ever wondered if dogs are color blind, you are not alone.
Most of us have been taught that dogs only see in black, white and shades of gray because their eyes only contain two cones.
Human eyes contain three cones, which allows us to differentiate between colors.
Research has shown that dogs are not color blind, although they may see colors differently than we do.
What two cones means for dogs
The cones of the eyes are the color receptors. Stimulated by incoming light, the cones allow our brains to detect the color of an object. Since dogs only have two cones, they can distinguish blue from yellow, but not red from green.
Some people are partially color blind and have the same problem. This means that the red receptor cones are not working properly, cones that do not exist in most mammals.
The research conducted on dog color blindness
It’s not possible to ask a dog the color of an object, but it is possible to train dogs to associate a particular color with a treat, a walk or command.
Researchers learned that dogs could differentiate between four colored boxes and understand where a treat would be based on the color of the box. They learned that dogs could associate food sources based on the color of the boxes, and not on brightness.
Brightness still matters to some dogs
Dog trainers continue to focus on brightness and shades rather than specific colors to associate with rewards because there have not been enough studies to determine what works with dogs.
The tried and true methods are still employed by trainers.
The usefulness of the research conducted trying to figure out if dogs see colors will be determined over time. What we have learned, though, is that dog color blindness is not true. It is a fact that dogs can see color, just not the same as humans do. Dogs can differentiate shades, brightness and have the cone receptors to see yellow and blue.
Now that we know dogs can see similarly to humans who have green/red color blindness, further research can be done by talking with humans who see the same colors as dogs do. How color is interpreted is a whole other matter, but it is clear that dogs do see in color. It is a myth that has lasted for a long time that is simply not true.