Do dogs see in black & white or in colour?

Question

I've always wondered about it and was never told by anyone that they saw in colour. Also why are all their eyes brown?

Answer 1

I think they see in varying degrees of grey actually but I could be wrong. The eye question is interesting. I mean why are all babies born with blue eyes that may or may not change as they age?

Answer 2

No, actually they do see in some color. They are not totally color blind. That is an old wives tale. Dogs can discriminate blue/yellow best. That is why agility obstacles are painted blue and yellow! They are not good at red/green discrimination. All dogs eyes are not brown, although most are. This is due to the genetic coding for eye color. Blue is a recessive trait, so both parents must have blue eyes in order to produce a blue eyed dog. Since there aren't that many blue eyed dogs, this doesn't usually happen in most breeds. However, there are certain breeds where blue eyes are more common than others...some of the northern breeds, for example. Blue eye color is linked to white coat color in herding breeds (perhaps others as well). The more white coat a herding dog has, the higher the probablility that the eyes will be blue. Sometimes only one eye is blue. Nothing like being stared down by a one-blue-eyed border collie! Most good herding dog breeders avoid these pairings since white coat color is also linked to deafness.