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 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/

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

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.

Comments

Nice work finding strong sources for your fact-check

Answer 4

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

Answer 5

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/

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

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. 

 

Answer 8

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

Comments

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..."

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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.

Answer 9

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

Answer 10

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/