• Question: is it true that dogs are colour blind???

    Asked by chimp 123 to Angela, Claire, Ian, Robert, Sarah on 16 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Angela Stokes

      Angela Stokes answered on 16 Nov 2014:

      Hi chimp123
      If you think the answer is “yes,” you are wrong! Modern science has answered this age-old question: Dogs can see color, but not in the same way that we do. The palette of colors they can see is limited in comparison to ours; it is also less vibrant.

      Eyes have “rods” and “cones” to help identify color. Rods tell us how bright or dim something is (black or white) and cones help us identify color. Humans have three kinds of cones, which help detect yellow, violet, and green.

      Dogs only have two types of cones, so they see orange, yellow, and green as yellow. Blue-green is seen as white and red looks as though it is brownish-black. While they can see blue, they can’t distinguish shades, especially as the color blue gets darker

      So no, dogs are not truly colourblind!

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