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Are dogs color blind?

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Are dogs color blind?

Have you ever wondered if our dogs are color blind? Do they only see red, orange, or yellow? Or, are all dogs color blind? Well, the answer is a bit complicated. 

See, humans can only see three colors...red, orange, and yellow. And, these three colors can be combined in many ways to create an array of four or more. That's why we can have red, black, white, and blue all in one setting. That's why we can have all different types of these colors in one setting too. So, do dogs have these same types of color vision? 

Well, it's a bit complicated but not really. What we do know is that dogs have three types of color centers. These centers are red, yellow, and green. There are also small cones that are found within each of these colors which are responsible for causing color perception. 

Now, if a human has all four cones working at their optimal level, then he or she will see everything within the spectrum of the visible light spectrum. A normal human being will have some shades of green and some red. So, is there a way that a dog can have all of these colors at their optimal levels? Well, there is, and it comes in the form of dog toys. 

All dogs have three types of cone cells working for them. However, humans can improve their cone perception by using special lenses. So, humans can enhance their sight just like any other animal can. Canine toys help dogs to get used to seeing in all of the colors that are available to them. 

Special yellow and green grass disks are designed for use with dog agility competitions. These discs change from one color to another as the dog runs, jumps and completes his course. Then, there are also disk designs in various other colors. Just try to look around and you will find many different colors for your dog's discs. 

The other way that dogs can improve their vision is by using special sights and lights that attach to their lead ropes. Humans have two types of cones and these are called red and green cones. A human can enhance these two cone types by turning his or her head toward the sun. 

So, what do you think about dogs that are not able to see well because their eyes aren't able to distinguish between red or green? Do you think that they might need some sort of treatment, and if so, what should it be? Do you think that training your dog to recognize different colors is important? There are eye chart kits available that teach dogs how to spot colored dots on the eye chart, so you may want to consider this as an option. 

One problem with dogs that have trouble seeing colors is that, in many cases, their visual system is designed to ignore color. In other words, it doesn't have the circuitry in it to distinguish between red and green and so it totally ignore the color. What's interesting about this is that it applies even when dogs are exposed to artificial colors. The reason is that humans have a series of neurons in their visual system that fire off color images when they encounter something that is different than the norm. 

Interestingly, dogs see all kinds of colors. When we turn our backs on them, they can't sense anything at all. However, most of them do recognize yellow, red and orange. These are basically all the colors that our eyes can recognize. If we expose them to these colors for a little bit, they do respond, but it's only for a short time. 

Another example is that most dogs can't tell bright red from a yellow toy. This makes sense since dogs have no sense of color intensity, at least in their visual sense. This means that if you put a bright red toy in front of them, and they look at it for a few moments, they will get the idea that it's a toy. If you throw in yellow, they won't take it in their mouths. 

As you can see, color perception in dogs is more complicated than it seems. We think that they use the same kind of color range that humans do, but that's not necessarily true. In actuality, most dogs have a very limited color range that they can work with. To really understand how they work, you might want to consider taking an agility course that includes training your dog to be an obedience dog or working on a toy fence with your dog.

If you need dog supplies just visit us at Paws and Me.