Question

Dogs can only see black and white

Comments

For many years, the answer was yes. Dog’s are kind of the same as humans since they have rods and cones. According to PetKeen,“Rods are used to detect motion and light. Cones are used to distinguish between colors”. For dogs, dichromatic vision allows dogs to see colors like green and yellow.

https://petkeen.com/do-dogs-see-black-and-white/

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Going over the article, dogs can actually see color. They just have less cones so they're not able to see the full color spectrum like humans do. They do have more rods letting them see better shades of black and white which helps in the dark.

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This is a false statement dogs can see more than just black and white, while their sight color spectrum is limited they can see a collection of grey, brown, yellow, and blue. During the season they have limited sight colors because dogs only have 2 types of cones which is 20 percent of the cones human eyes have. With the 2 cones, they also struggle to see different hues of the same color. There is more information on this topic at the Purina online site.

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You made a great point about dogs vision. It’s fascinating how their eyes are structured differently than ours. While they may see fewer colors they actually excel in low-light conditions thanks to their higher rod count. This makes them better suited for activities in dim light, which is why they can navigate well in the dark. It would be interesting to compare this with other animals' vision capabilities and see how different adaptations serve their specific needs in the wild.

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This is a false statement and I think you could have easily found a source that gives you more information on what dogs see. Dogs have very interesting vision and it is very different then humans. But, they do see some colors just not as much. Dogs only have 20% of the cones in their eyes compared to humans.

Answer 1

This claim is false. 

The American Kennel Club (AKC) explains the origin of this false understanding. The AKC states, "The notion that dogs see only in shades of black and white has been attributed to Will Judy, a lifelong dog fancier, writer, and past publisher of Dog Week magazine...'It’s likely that all the external world appears to them as varying highlights of black and gray,' Judy wrote in his 1937 manual, “Training the Dog.”" 

Dogs do have more limited color vision than humans. The site Dogs Naturally has an article explaining this. It states, "Your dog’s eyes...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." These certain colors dogs are unable to process are red and green, and colors involving them. 

For more information and visuals on the differences in color perception between humans and dogs, check out this webpage: https://dog-vision.andraspeter.com/#Color

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

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

Comments

You provided plenty of details and background information as well as three sources, which help a reader understand why the claim is false. Good work.

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I really liked the evidence you found. The websites you used were very educational.

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Wow this was so detailed, thank you so much!

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The American Kennel Club was a great source to use. Great job.

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The detail to the question is impressive.

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This is a very detailed fact check. Good job using a very reliable source on the subject. Very thorough, nice job!

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The source you used seems to be very reliable and descriptive. I also used it when researching this question and they provided an in-depth analysis of why this common claim is false. It uses a variety of data, quotes from doctors, and pictures to defend its claim.

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You picked great sources to refute this point. I also appreciate how you built upon the question and detailed exactly what dogs could see.

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I enjoy how you use multiple sources in your explanation. In all honesty I too believed dogs only saw in black and white. I think it's interesting now that they only see colors on a spectrum of blues and yellows.

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This is a very detailed fact check, with a lot of sources and quotes. It does a good job with utilizing the info from the sources to build the argument.

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I like how you go in depth to explain the vision of the dogs. Also how you explain what types of colors they can and cannot see.

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The sources you used and the way you used very detailed quotes to back up your answer made your answer seem very reliable. The claim is backed up efficiently, which makes it all the better.

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Yes, I agree! Dogs can see colors from yellow and blue so it is false that they can only see black and white. The AKC was a very good article for this statement and allowed for a lot of proof.

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I saw on delaidevet.com that dogs being able to see in black and white was a myth, so you were right as well. In their claim they went over how scientists have proven this to be a myth. They went on to say they are color blind, but do not only see in black and white. I thought you provided a great explanation of dogs and how they perceive different colors. It’s interesting to see how misconceptions have shaped our understanding. The reference to Will Judy shows how early beliefs can linger despite advancements in our knowledge of animal biology. It would be helpful to explore how this limited color vision affects their behavior and interactions with their environment. For instance, how does this impact their ability to play fetch with colorful toys? It’s a great reminder of how diverse perceptions can be across species.

Answer 2

It is a common misconception that dogs can only see in black and white. The way color is perceived is derived from the number of cones and rods in the eye. The difference between the human and dog eye is that "dogs have have more rods than cones in their retina, whereas people have more cones" (Meyers). Dogs have dichromatic vision. Because of this, dogs are capable of also seeing yellow and blue colors, yet they cannot see red an green. Thus, dogs can see more colors than black and white (greyish tones).

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

Comments

I really enjoyed how you talked about it was a misconception. I liked how you brought up the difference between a human and a dog.

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Thanks for the info, amazing!

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Good, concise information.

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I like how you not only state your claim, but you also provide scientific information about the eyes of dogs.

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This is a good fact-check that gets right to the point. It is clear and concise and wastes no time getting the main idea explained.

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I appreciate your attention to detail and outlining why it was a misconception and why it is considered fact now.

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I like how concise and to the point your answer is. I also think the source you chose is a good one because of the specificity of the field they study in.

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You were descriptive with how you described the colors, but I would suggest adding another source to make your claim stronger.

Answer 3

According to the link below, cats and dogs have two types of cones that respond to blue and green light. This suggests they have adequate color vision.

https://adelaidevet.com.au/pet-library/can-animals-see-colour#:~:text=It%20was%20once%20thought%20that,the%20eye%20called%20cone%20photoreceptors.

Answer 4

In the past people believed that dogs could see in black and white but that has been proven to be a myth. In fact according to Adelaine Vet, dogs and cats are colourblind " humans use three cones – red, blue and green. However cats and dogs only have blue and green cones. This means they have a much more muted perception of colour, which is akin to colour blindness in humans". Some way or form dogs can't see in full color. 

https://adelaidevet.com.au/pet-library/can-animals-see-colour#:~:text=It%20was%20once%20thought%20that%20animals%2C%20including%20cats,of%20cells%20in%20the%20eye%20called%20cone%20photoreceptors.

Comments

I agree with your claim, but I don't think your source provides enough information to prove it to be true or false. It just describes that dogs have different rods and cons than humans, but not why this is the case.

Answer 5

it is wrong dogs can see colors, according to AdelaideVet:

"It was once thought that animals, including cats and dogs, could only see in black and white. However, scientists have proven this to be a myth"

https://adelaidevet.com.au/pet-library/can-animals-see-colour#:~:text=It%20was%20once%20thought%20that,the%20eye%20called%20cone%20photoreceptors.

Comments

I like that your source is from a veterinarian site but I think it would be more reliable if the statements had sources that supported the statements they put in response to the myths.

Answer 6

While scientists previously believed that animals were only able to see in black in white this has been proven wrong recently, making this statement false. Dogs cannot see color as much as humans as humans use three cones and dogs use two, however they still have a perception of color.

https://adelaidevet.com.au/pet-library/can-animals-see-colour#:~:text=Animals%20only%20see%20in%20black%20and%20white&text=It%20was%20once%20thought%20that,the%20eye%20called%20cone%20photoreceptors.

Answer 7

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New research and conclusions about dogs show that while dogs may not be able to see as much as humans do, dogs can still see a mass proportion of colors as we can. It is a misconception that dogs can only see in black and white. According to AKC, examinations of the canine eye structure reveal that due to the nature of evolution and function, there are some basic differences in the design between dogs and humans. "Dogs developed their senses as nocturnal hunters," and due to this aspect of evolution, dogs eyes' are therefore adapted to see well in the dark and catch movement, which creates a larger lens and corneal surface and reflective membrane in dogs. Low-light vision in the retina is also improved, and the retina is the main focus of this color perception idea. Cones in the retina work and control color perception, and there are more rods than cones in a dogs eye. Because of this the wavelength color spectrum of dogs is differently perceived which causes them to see and miss certain colors.

To add on, according to PSU, dogs see minimal in color but do in fact see in color. In easier words, dogs see as a colorblind human would. The concept of the structure of the retina was also emphasized in this article.

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Comments

What is AKC? You mention it as your source but it is not clear what that is.

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The AKC stands for the American Kennel Club. As stated on their about page, "For more than 130 years, the American Kennel Club has been the country’s leading authority on all things dogs." They are probably most well-known for their detailed information pages on dog breeds, but they have loads of information on health, responsible ownership, etc. Thus, a reliable source for the question of dogs' eyesight.

Answer 8

According to Adelaide Vet, a vet clinic in Australia, it's a myth that cats and dogs can only see black and white. Scientists have proven that the "perception of color is determined by the presence of cells in the eye called cone photoreceptors." Cats and dogs have two kinds of these cones that can see blue and green light. 

Because of this, cats and dogs are color-blind, but only to some color, not all. Humans have all three cones to see blue, green, and red light, but since cats and dogs only have two, they cannot see red light. Their eyes have a muted perception of red so they are colour-blind to that color. "For example, behavioural tests in dogs suggest that they can distinguish  red from blue, but often confuse red and green. Similarly, they often perceive green as grey.

https://adelaidevet.com.au/pet-library/can-animals-see-colour

Comments

Your explanation is clear and precise. The website that you found is amazing for people to learn more about pets and how to take care of them. The website is reliable, and you provided lots of explanations to the question, which helps reader to understand why the answer is false. Nice Work.

Answer 9

It has been proven to be a myth that dogs can only see black and white.

According to "American Kennel Club"  dogs develop their senses as nocturnal hunters, tracking and catching their food at night. Their eyes are adapted to see well in the dark and catch movement.

Comments

Can you provide a hyperlink to your source?

Answer 10

This is false. Dogs can actually see color, just not as good as humans. Dogs have poor vision and can only see blue and yellow. According to American Kennel Club, “Dogs have more rods than cones in their retina, whereas people have more cones, and this apparently makes the difference in color perception.”

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

Comments

This a great response. You used a reputable website to find out that dogs can actually see color. You also quoted American Kennel Club which further strengthened your claim that this statement was false.