Question

Dogs can only see black and white

Comments

It seems that the claim was untrue and misleading. It was proven wrong by many sources before, and it originated from an author of DogWeek Magazine. Great fact check!

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This claim is seemingly incorrect, as there’s no source to back up the claim.

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I really like how this explains the myth in a simple, easy to understand way! The comparison to red/green color blindness makes it super clear, and the AKC citation is a nice touch it makes the info feel really credible. Great job!

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The claim that dogs can only see black and white is false. Dogs can see shades of blue and yellow, but have difficulty distinguishing between red and green.

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The claim that "Dogs can only see black and white" has long been a popular and widley shared belief. However, recent scientific research has proved that this myth is incorrect. Supporting the idea that dogs do see color, however, not in the way that humans do. I discovered that dogs have only 20% of the cells that humans have, which are for detecting color. (Pedigree, 2025). Because of the lack of cells that dogs have, their vision is more limited, only seeing yellow and blue shades. Many media sources altered the assumption that dogs only see in black and white, without prven evidence.However, research specifically in veterinary studies has provided evidence that while dogs do not see the full spectrum of colors like humans, they are not colorblind in the way previously thought, only susceptible to certain shades.
Sources: https://www.pedigree.com/dog-care-articles/our-help-hub/training-resources/do-dogs-see-only-in-black-and-white

Answer 1

This claim is false after doing through research I found on AKC it states "That idea that dogs can’t see color was widely accepted for decades, but new research and conclusions about canine anatomy and behavior have shown that while dogs can’t see the same colors humans do, dogs can still see some colors." 

My second source dogs naturally magazine also supports that this claim is false. Dogs naturally magazine says "Your dog’s eyes, on the other hand, only have two cones – blue and yellow. This is called dichromatic vision, and it means that while your dog can still see color, his perception of it is muted compared to a human. The biggest difference is that dogs can’t process red light, which can make it hard for them to distinguish certain colors."

From a simple google search it would prove that dogs have dichromatic vision and don't just see in black and white while the color they do see is quite muted it is not black and white as people have been lead to believe with the progression of technology researchers were able to figure this out.

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/can-dogs-see-color/

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/what-colors-do-dogs-see/

Answer 2

This is false!

The American Kennel Club published a writing about dogs' vision. The paper said that they can't see nearly as well as humans, but can still see better than black and white. Their vision is only of certain colors, like grey, and they can't see red. They can only discern blue and yellow. VCA animal hospital came to the same conclusion: a large limit, no red, and only blue and yellow.

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/can-dogs-see-color/

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/do-dogs-see-color#:~:text=Human%20eyes%20have%20three%20types,only%20discern%20blue%20and%20yellow.

Answer 3

The claim that dogs can only see black and white is false. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs see colors, but not as vividly as humans. They are red-green colorblind, meaning they see mostly shades of blue and yellow, but cannot distinguish between red and green. This is because dogs have two types of color receptors (cones) in their eyes, while humans have three (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/can-dogs-see-colors/).

A BBC News article also supports this, explaining that while dogs don’t see the full spectrum of colors, their vision is adapted for movement and low-light detection, which is more useful for their natural instincts (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180125-how-do-dogs-see-the-world). These sources show that dogs do not see in black and white—they see a limited range of colors, mostly blues and yellows.

Answer 4

The claim states that dogs can only see in black and white and this claim is false. Looking at Pedigree and their article on if dogs can only see in black and white and it says that veterinarians used to think that dogs could only see in black and white, but recent studies suggest that dogs actually have color vision. Even though its not as bright as humans, and as it turns out dogs only have 20% of the color receptors in your eyes that humans do. Not only that but looking at the American Kennel Club AKC article states "That idea that dogs can’t see color was widely accepted for decades, but new research and conclusions about canine anatomy and behavior have shown that while dogs can’t see the same colors humans do, dogs can still see some colors." With this information, I can conclude that dogs actually do see color, they just see less color than humans.

Answer 5

Upon examination of the widespread belief and claim that “dogs can only see black and white” I have determined that this statement is false. According to The American Kennel Club “Technicolor may be beyond their comprehension, but research shows that the dog’s eye can see much more than shades of gray.” Refining this source deeper there are multiple research studies findings just within the American Kennel club that cite studies done on dogs' vision and their perception of the color spectrum. The conclusive findings for every study is that dogs can see more colors than just black and white having “vision [is] similar to that of a person who has red-green color blindness”  according to research conducted by Jay Neitz. This claim was perpetuated before there was modern scientific methodology to precisely prove the capabilities of dogs’ vision. 

Sources: 

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/can-dogs-see-color/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-colors-do-dogs-see

Answer 6

For a majority of my life, when I was with my dog, whenever the topic came up, playing in the yard, taking a mid-day run, I would ask, "Can dogs see any colors?" Just like this Claim states, "Dogs can only see black and white."  I would always get this answer, but it is just another major common misconception and is completely false.  Studies provided by the American Kennel Club present, "Dogs can make out yellow and blue, and combinations of those colors."(Meyers, 2021) This solo statement was explained by the ties to human color blindness and a dog's vision.  Diving deeper, the link to humans started with what makes humans colorblind?  "People missing some color-detecting molecules won't realize certain light wavelengths."(Meyers, 2021). This creates the inability to pick up the reflected light that turns into the simple "Red" and "Green" we know.  Dogs are similar in their case. Dogs have a certain build in their eyes that houses more "Rods" in their eyes, which gives them the ability to see more in low-light areas, giving them the ability to hunt at night.  Although this trait leaves less room for cones, which are the parts of the eye that cover color perception.  Meaning, with only minimal cones compared to humans, they can still see color, but they are limited due to the different forms of evolution through the decades.

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/can-dogs-see-color/

Meyers, Harriet. “Can Dogs See Color?” American Kennel Club, 7 Dec. 2021, www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/can-dogs-see-color/.

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