Can Dogs See Color? What Colors Can Dogs See and More

Have you heard that dogs can’t see colors? The chances are good that you have, since this idea is widely believed and often repeated. Dogs can only see in black and white, someone might have told you, in an authoritative voice suggesting they had read all about it and knew it for a fact.

Despite how many people believe this, it just isn’t so. Many people have false ideas about what their dogs can and cannot see, and as a result they badly underestimate their dogs´ visual abilities. If you took the idea that dogs only saw in black and white seriously, you’ll be surprised and delighted to discover that the truth is far more fascinating.

Can Dogs See Color?

Scientists who’ve studied the question have now revealed a ton of information about how dogs perceive their environments. As a result we now know that, like their human companions, dogs live in a world filled with color.

Dogs absolutely can see colors. They just don´t see all of them. It would be correct to say they are partially colorblind, but not completely so. When you’re with your dog and watching a scene unfold in front of you, there’s a great similarity in what you both are seeing. There are differences, in both color content and in how bright certain things appear. But you can rest assured that your dog is not seeing black, white and gray exclusively. What they are looking at is far more vivid, complex and interesting than that.