How does your dog see the world?

You must have heard people saying that a dog’s vision is black and white.

Is that really true?

You think you know your dog very well, but did you know that their world looks completely different from ours?

So, how do dogs actually see?

Color: Dogs See the World Through a Different Lens

Imagine looking at the world through a pair of sunglasses with a tint. Everything is still there, but the colors are just... different. That’s what your dog experiences!

We humans have trichromatic vision that is, we can see the three primary colors- red, green and blue. While dogs have dichromatic vision, meaning they see only two primary colors: blue and yellow.

What about red and green? Not so much. To a dog, these colors probably look more like shades of gray or brown. So, a dog’s vision is very similar to that of a colorblind human.

Blurry Vision: Your Dog Might Need Glasses (Kind of)

Humans are blessed with fantastic visual acuity, which means we can spot small details, read the fine print, and distinguish faces from far away. Dogs, however, are a little more near-sighted. If we’re talking visual sharpness, dogs have an estimated 20/75 vision.

What does that mean? Well, it’s like if you were standing 75 feet away from something, your dog would need to be just 20 feet away to see the same level of detail.

So, when you throw a ball for your dog to catch, it’s likely more about the movement and the general shape, not the fine details of the ball’s logo. Still, they’ll find it every time!

Night Vision: Dogs Are the Ultimate Night Watchers

One of the cool things about your dog’s vision is that they’re great at seeing in low light. Thanks to a higher number of rod cells in their retinas, which are responsible for detecting light levels, dogs can see in darker environments where we’d be stumbling around.

Their tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina, helps them gather more light, making them well equipped for nighttime adventures.

Field of View: A Panoramic Perspective

Humans have a 180-degree field of view. But dogs? They have a 250-degree field of view. That’s almost a full panoramic vision of their surroundings, helping them keep an eye on everything happening around them. It’s like having a superpower when it comes to noticing movement!

However, the tradeoff is that their depth perception isn’t as sharp as ours. Because their eyes are set on the sides of their heads, they have less overlap in their visual fields, which means they might not have the same ability to judge distances accurately.

But don’t worry your dog uses other senses, like their keen hearing and sense of smell, to make up for that.

Motion Detection: Dogs Are Experts at Spotting Movement

Humans are good at detecting motion, but dogs are superb at it. Their brains are wired to pick up on even the slightest movements, whether it’s a squirrel running across the yard or you trying to sneak into the kitchen for a snack. This motion-sensing skill comes from their evolutionary history—predators need to be able to detect movement from far away to hunt successfully, and dogs are no different.

Why Does All This Matter?

I look at my dog taking the best nap of his lifetime (everyday), while I’m here working, writing blogs for you all…..and I get a teeny tiny bit jealous. Sometimes, I wish I could trade places with him. But that would mean I would not get to see rainbows, the green forests or even other beautiful creatures like butterflies.

That’s a big trade off, right? So the next time your mom asks you not to watch your screens closely, without blinking in the dark for long time periods, maybe...listen to her and value your vision and the world around you.

And don’t you feel sorry for your dog. It’s clear that their vision is perfectly adapted to their needs. Dogs use their extraordinary sense of smell and hearing to gather most of their information, but their vision helps them spot danger, hunt for prey, and navigate their surroundings in their own unique way.