Can Dogs See Colors?

Probably one of the most frequently asked questions about a dog's vision is whether he

sees colors. The simple answer, namely that dogs are colorblind, has been misinterpreted by people as meaning that dogs see no color, but only shades of gray. This is wrong. Dogs do see colors, but the colors that they see are neither as rich nor as many as those seen by humans.

Source: Image from SC Psychological Enterprises Ltd

The eyes of both people and dogs contain special light-catching cells called cones that respond to color. Dogs have fewer cones than humans, which suggests that their color vision won't be as rich or intense as ours. However, the trick to seeing color is not just having cones, but having several different types of cones, each tuned to different wavelengths of light. Human beings have three different kinds of cones and the combined activity of these gives humans their full range of color vision.

The most common types of human colorblindness come about because the person is missing one of the three kinds of cones. With only two cones, the individual can still see colors, but many fewer than someone with normal color vision. This is the situation for dogs who also have only two kinds of cones.

Jay Neitz at the University of California, Santa Barbara, tested the color vision of dogs. For many test trials, dogs were shown three light panels in a row, two of the panels were the same color, while the third was different. The dogs' task was to find the one that was different and to press that panel. If the dog was correct, he was rewarded with a treat that the computer-delivered
to the cup below that panel.

Neitz confirmed that dogs actually do see color, but many fewer colors than normal humans do. Instead of seeing the rainbow as violet, blue, blue-green, green, yellow, orange, and red, dogs would see it as dark blue, light blue, gray, light yellow, darker yellow (sort of brown), and very dark gray. Dogs see the colors of the world as basically yellow, blue, and gray. They see the colors green, yellow, and orange as yellowish, and they see violet and blue as blue. Blue-green is seen as gray. You can see what the spectrum looks like to people and dogs below.

Source: Image from SC Psychological Ltd

One amusing or odd fact is that the most popular colors for dog toys today are red or safety orange (the bright orange-red on traffic cones or safety vests). However red is difficult for dogs to see. It may appear as a very dark brownish gray or perhaps even a black. This means that that bright red dog toy that is so visible to you may often be difficult for your dog to see. That means that when your own pet version of Lassie runs right past the toy that you tossed she may not be stubborn or stupid. It may be your fault for choosing a toy with a color that is hard to discriminate from the green grass of your lawn.

That leaves us with the question as to whether dogs actually use the color vision abilities that they have. For more about that click here.

Stanley Coren is the author of many books including Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? The Pawprints of History

Copyright SC Psychological Enterprises Ltd. May not be reprinted or reposted without permission.

111 Flowering Plants and Other Botanical Names for Boys and Girls

111 Flowering Plants and Other Botanical Names for Boys and Girls

At some point in your life, you have asked the question, “Why am I named the way I am?” Your parents would probably have told you a hundred versions of how they decided on your name and maybe told of funny or momentous anecdotes in the process. And these stories would either make you love or hate your name even more.

And then it’s your turn to name your own baby. Choosing a name for your child is one of the most important decisions you have to make for them. To some people, they toil over what to name their newborn and do extensive research while for others, the idea just comes naturally.

There are millions of names to choose from and as a parent, you have to be careful and recognize that their names are probably going to be part of their identity for the rest of their lives, so choose wisely.

And in that case, why not use the name of your favorite flower or plant? The plants around us were carefully named too and some have a delightful ring to them, some are mysterious, while others have a wise appeal derived from the strangest but clever sources.

Here is a list of some beautiful and inspiring names adapted from flowers and botanical terms to help you decide what to name your baby boys and baby girls. We have all the cute, pretty, masculine, feminine and unique flower names you an choose from.

A rare but stylish name for girls, Acacia is an attractive botanical name which means thorny. It was derived from the plant that produces clusters of small yellow flowers and is an inspiration to the adventurous name givers. Another interesting bit about Acacia which makes it worth-considering as a name is that it symbolizes an enduring and pure soul.