+7 votes
in General Factchecking by Apprentice (1.1k points)
by Apprentice (1.0k points)
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/
by (140 points)
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.
by (160 points)
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.

57 Answers

+1 vote
by Newbie (380 points)

This claim is incorrect. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs can see in a variety of blues and yellows. While they do see less color than humans, they see more than just black and white. The idea that dogs are only able to see in black and white was coined by a publisher of Dog Week Magazine in 1937, which has since been disproved. While dogs do only have twenty percent of the cone photoreceptor cells that humans have, they can still visualize their own spectrum of colors.

https://www.pedigree.com/dog-care-articles/our-help-hub/training-resources/do-dogs-see-only-in-black-and-white

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

False
+1 vote
by Journeyman (2.2k points)

Actually, this information is false and misleading. According to Adelaide Vet, scientists have proven this statement to be a myth, as dogs color perception depends on the certain presence of cells in their eyes, which are called cone photoreceptors.

Dogs have two kinds of cones, which have sensitivity to blue and green light, meaning that they have a useful level of color vision. They aren't necessarily color blind, but they do have a much more muted perception of color, as the only have two cones whereas humans have all three cone photoreceptors; dogs are missing red. Dogs may simply often confuse colors.

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

False
+1 vote
by Master (4.2k points)

The claim that dogs can only see in black and white is false. According to the American Kennel Club's chief veterinary officer, Dr. Jerry Klein, "Dogs have more rods than cones in their retina, whereas people have more cones, and this apparently makes the difference in color perception. Humans and a few other primate species are trichromatic, which means they have three kinds of cones. Dogs are dichromatic, and have only two types." Dogs are still able to see color, they just have a more limited color spectrum and colors appear differently to them than they do to humans. 

According to Britannica, the only two receptors that dogs have are receiving blue and yellow. Most of a dog's color spectrum is composed of blue and yellow. 

So while dogs do not only see in black and white, their color spectrum is very limited and includes mostly yellow and blue.

False
by Genius (41.9k points)
Nice work finding strong sources for your fact-check
+1 vote
by Apprentice (1.3k points)

This claim seems to be false as it simply states that dogs (a general statement) can only see black and white. First, it talks about dogs as though there is only one species of dogs which is false as there are hundreds of breeds of dogs, each unique to their own.

Purina states that though dogs cannot see as many colors as humans they can see shades of grey, yellow, and blue meaning they can see other colors not just black and white.

https://www.purina.com/articles/dog/care/can-dogs-see-color#:~:text=to%20certain%20colors.-,What%20Colors%20do%20Dogs%20See%3F,experience%20red%2Dgreen%20color%20blindness. 

The article also seems to be exaggerated as it makes it seem as though dogs can not see anything in color. This is only partially true as dogs have dichromatic vision meaning dogs only see 20% of color humans do, and instead of stating the facts this article appears to be using false information for sympathy from the readers.

Here is more information about the matter.

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

https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/what-colors-do-dogs-see

https://www.thewildest.com/dog-lifestyle/what-colors-do-dogs-see

+1 vote
by Newbie (260 points)

This claim is false.

For years, many believed that dogs could only see in shades of black and white, but new data completely debunks this assumption. While it is true dogs don't see the same color shades as humans, they can still see shades of color. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs are not color blind, but instead "spectrum challenged." Since dogs come from a family of "nocturnal hunters," their eyes have adapted to see better in low-light environments. According to Dr. Klein of the AKC, he says that dogs "have more rods, which improves low-light vision, in the retina." Since dogs have adapted, they are still able to see shades of color, but these shades differ from humans because their eyes are more suited for the night, which is why their vision appears more blurred and dark.

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

0 votes
by Apprentice (1.9k points)
Dogs can see color. They can't perceive color as well as humans, as they only have two cones while humans have three cones. However, they can still see color, they just aren't sensitive to red light.

https://adelaidevet.com.au/pet-library/can-animals-see-colour/#:~:text=It%20was%20once%20thought%20that,the%20eye%20called%20cone%20photoreceptors.
False
+1 vote
by Newbie (380 points)

So this is in fact a false claim. It was believed that this was the case for many years until recent research has surfaced disproving it. According to Adelaide Vet, "the perception of color is determined by the presence of cells in the eye called cone photoreceptors. Cats and dogs have two kinds of cones, which are sensitive to blue and green light." Therefore, all animals, not only cats and dogs can in fact see color. 

 

+2 votes
by Newbie (300 points)
While it is true that dogs see the world different than humans, it is not true that they only see in black and white. Seeing colors is attributed to photo receptors in the eyes that are called cones. On average, a dog 1.2 million cones which means they are able to see a limited amount of colors. While they are limited in the colors they can see, they are still able to see color.

https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/16/dogs-can-only-see-in-black-and-white-myth-or-fact/

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

https://www.pedigree.com/dog-care-articles/our-help-hub/training-resources/do-dogs-see-only-in-black-and-white
False
by Genius (41.9k points)
I like that you included so many solid sources. Don't forget to attribute stats/facts to your sources. For instance, you can write: According to Pedigree, dogs can see limited colors...

Also, I think there's a word missing here in your fact-check: "A dog 1.2 million cones..."
by Journeyman (2.8k points)
Good thing to add different sources and describe how dogs see differently than us and how limited they are to seeing color than us humans.
+1 vote
by Journeyman (2.8k points)

This claim is false as dogs aren’t limited to only seeing black and white. The source provided below tells us that scientist found that animals seeing only black and white is a myth and that animals have 2 different kinds of cones that makes them sensitive to blue and green light. Their color level is what depends on the present of the different types of cones. The second source says for dogs has only 20% of cone photoreceptor cells which controls the way the eye sees color.

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

https://www.pedigree.com/dog-care-articles/our-help-hub/training-resources/do-dogs-see-only-in-black-and-white

False
+1 vote
by Novice (890 points)

This statement is misinformed as dogs are not restricted to seeing only black and white. According to Penn State, "Humans have 6,000,000 cones which help us perceive red, blue, green, and yellow. Dogs only have 1,200,000 cones and they can only identify blue and yellow." This proves that the lack of rods and cones to identify red and green make dogs colorblind - but not just for black and white. Reader's Digest claims that "while they can see some colors, the nuances of those colors (like the difference between plum and violet) are probably lost on dogs. Maybe that’s why dogs love bright yellow tennis balls so much." The yellow on the tennis balls stands out against the more dull colors, which is why they enjoy it.

https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/16/dogs-can-only-see-in-black-and-white-myth-or-fact/

https://www.rd.com/article/can-dogs-see-color/

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