Do dogs REALLY see in black and white?

Question

Do dogs REALLY see in black and white, or is it just some dogs. If they see in black and white, then that means that they wouldn't be going after a laser lik cats do. My chihuahua doesn't, but then again, i've seen another dog go crazy over a laser.

Answer 1

OK, to settle the color blind stuff before more feelings get hurt.

BOTH answers are correct, depending on context.

When a man is tested in the military, or for a commercial driving license, the chart tests for color blindness. If he is deemed color blind, it means he can't differentiate between red and green, but only sees them as shades of brown..that is the human condition known as color blind.
However, dogs do not differentiate between red and green, so by human standards, yes, they ARE color blind.

But, some people think that the term means that color blindness is seeing only in black and white...dogs DO see other than black and white and shades of gray..so, they do see color.
They see yellow, blue, and tans/browns very well, and some shades of purple..but they can't tell red from green.

So, do they see color? YES
Are they color blind by human terms? YES
Do they only see black and white? NO

Answer 2

First of all, just because you see black and white, does not mean you cannot detect a light source of a specific frequency. You just can't percieve what that frequency is.

Secondly, to an extent, dogs do see black and white, as do most animals. The reason is, because there are two different types of nerve cells in the retina; one of these cell types is conic, and has many pigments in it for many different colors of light to stimulate and eventually triger an action potential in the nerve. The other is cylindrical and has very few pigments that can be stimulated by any light.

The difference between them varies drastically. While conic ones can detect color, it takes a larget amount of light to generate and action potential in them. The cylinder ones however, they require barely any light to generate a potential and so they can send detailed signals about the environment to the brain with very little light in the area.

Now both humans and animals have both of these. The difference is in the concentration of each. Humans have mostly conic shaped nerves which detect color as long as light is abundant. While animals like cats have moslty black and white detecting nerves which can detect extremely faint amounts of light so they see incredibly well at night. (dogs are similar to cats in this way but not to as severe a degree).

I hope this answers your question and gives you a little education on the subject, i tried not to be too specific for understanding's sake. Have a great day!

Answer 3

It's actually a myth that dogs are fully colorblind. They don't see color as well as we do, but they can tell the difference between yellow and greenish-blue. What they are unable to do is to tell the difference between red and green (the same as a red/green color blind human wouldn't). Humans have 3 color receptors in the eye - dogs only have 2 - BUT if a human has a green/red color blindness - they only have 2 receptors just like dogs.

The dog's eyes also lack another trait that humans have - the fovea - this is why they can't see detail like we see. They do make up for the lack of detailed vision by being able to see better at night and a better perception of movement though

Answer 4

no not actually total black and white. They can see pale color. The reason for having the partial color blindness is that they have more cone receptor cells for light pick up in their eye to account for seeing well in the dark. To have all these cones they have to make room by removing the rod color receptor cells. This gives them a much duller version of color. They see the laser not as because of the brightness of it not really for the color. I have seen alot of dogs chase a flashlight on the wall.

Answer 5

Dogs are said to be colorblind. They sense things thro' smells.

But Visions are not the main thing.

According to some, there are unconfirmed & unproven information that Dogs see 'Tan' color instead of Red that human eye sees. When we see GREEN, the dogs see white. But when we & the Dog look up together both see BLUE!

DOGS ARE COLOR-BLIND! Here is some authentic info.

Like human retinae, dogs also have rods and cones in their retinae, only in a different proportion. They have the ability to differentiate colors, but they have a more muted version of what we see. This is especially true for dogs, which probably see more shades of gray than all the individual colors.

THIS is TRUE!

Is it not strange?

Keep Wondering & award me 10!

Source:

Answer 6

they do see in black and white. the reason the dog went crazy over the laser was because he was a diffrant breed of dog . most likley a dumber breed.

Answer 7

yes, dogs lack the cones on the retina which enable one to see color. They only see black/white/and shades of grey, which would explain why your dog goes crazy over a lazer.

Answer 8

I can't see how they know. And that's true the lazer thing I have seen dogs go nut over that but maybe the light to them isn't a red lazer light like we see maybe they see it as another color. Ya know... I have no clue. It's like my dog chose one toy made the same over another was it the color or what who knows

Answer 9

my chihuahua goes crazy over a laser

Answer 10

I have heard that dogs can see in faint colors, not just black and white.