Is it true that dogs see in black and white?

How do dogs see the world? Of course they see it from a lower vantage point, but what else is different? Can they see color? Do dogs see far away well? Do they really see better in the dark than humans?

Dogs can see color, but not the same way humans do. They see more like a person who is color blind between red and green. Reds don’t pop for them.

Dogs are believed to see blue nuances the best. They also see greenish-yellow, yellow, and the different shades of gray. That means a blue toy will be eye catching and extra fun, but a red ball will have about the same color as the green lawn.

While they may be missing out on the bright red, dogs can see a wider range of pastels and sepias than a human. They can distinguish between shades of gray that look the same to us. Subtlety of color in these color ranges looks clear and sharp to them.

They may also be able to make out different types of light than we can see. Many theorize that dogs see the world in ultraviolet spectrum.

They see much better in low-light conditions than we do. Dogs see seven times better than humans, almost as well as cats. This is due to a reflective layer at the back of the retina that bounces light back called the tapetum.

Another interesting thing is that dogs are near-sighted. They don’t see 20/20. It’s more like 20/75. Their vision is believed to be grainy, and that makes it harder for them to distinguish details at a distance.

Dogs see the world with a wider field of vision, or peripheral vision, than we do. Most humans have a field of vision of 180 degrees, while cats see 200 degrees. Most dogs can see around 240 degrees.