Published On:2016/02/04
Posted by Unknown
Dog Can’t See All Colors!
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| What colors dogs can see? |
White and Black
This is an old color system where in tv, so imagine how they see the world around them, when you dress a colorful skirt and ask your dog if it good or not?, the problem is "my dog can’t see it right.
I have since learned that dogs see more colors than just black and white. However, they do not see the color spectrum that most humans see. Dogs, it turns out, are color blind.
Dogs See These Colors
"Cones" on the retinas at the back of our eyes allow us to see colors. Typically, most people have three sets of cones. Dogs and humans with color blindness have only two. This means dogs can see in shades of blues, yellows and grays. However, dogs have more "rods" in their eyes, which gives them better night vision.
Check out the two color spectrums below to get a sense of the colors that people can see versus what dogs can see.
and this the difference between us and dogs
You may be thinking that while knowing a dog's color spectrum may be an interesting piece of trivia, it really doesn't matter from a dog training perspective. After all, we aren't training dogs to drive, so it doesn't matter if they can see red stop signs or green lights. However, with the upswing in fast-paced canine sports, the dog's color vision becomes a very important piece of knowledge that can help keep the dogs safe.
and you make of that with simple trick you can do with your dog, try to wear a t-shirt its color is the same color of background or like and hold a ball and make your dog runs to you to catch this ball, you will notice your dog can’t do it easily, another time try to wear a t-shirt with a contrast color with your background and retry what you do in the first time you will see the dog can catch the ball easily.
Why Does a Dog's Color Eyesight Matter in Canine Sports?
Take for instance the sport of agility, where a dog runs at top speed through an obstacle course. The dog must take the obstacles in a certain sequence, and each course is laid out differently. A handler has only a millisecond to communicate to the dog which obstacle is next. Poorly timed communication can not only result in the dog taking a "wrong course" obstacle, it can result in the dog miscalculating a jump or obstacle, "crashing," and possibly injuring him or herself.
Blue May Be the Clue
If I am going to be showing in an arena with dirt surface and dirty white or gray walls, I will choose shirts that are in the blue spectrum. This can include bluish purple shirts. I also can wear black. I avoid reds, oranges, yellows and greens as they will become shades of yellow and brown. I also avoid solid whites as they can blend with the white walls. If I am going to be competing on soccer turf with white walls or walls covered in advertisements, I again choose blue shirts unless the soccer turf is a bluish green. I can also wear black. I avoid reds, oranges, yellows and greens and solid whites. Remember, green looks like yellow to a dog.
A handler also needs to pay attention to the color of their shorts or pants. They may even want to think about wearing long pants if they'll be running on dirt, as all colors of human skin could blend easily into the colors of a dirt agility surface. By wearing pants, handlers can make themselves stand out better from the background.
This clothing contrast concept would be important not only for agility, but for almost all dogs sports from obedience to disc dog. Anytime a handler gives the dog a visual cue, it will help if the dog can see that cue clearly the instant it is delivered.
Understanding Color Vision in Dogs is Important for All Types of Training
Even when training a house dog, this knowledge is helpful. If asking a house dog to learn to fetch a stick on winter brown grass, it will be harder for the dog to see where the stick is thrown. Instead, use a toy in shades of blue on that winter brown.
For the house dog, it might be wise to make the dog's "things" color contrasting to the environment. From dog bowls to beds to toys, having them visually stand out to the dog will make them easier for the dog to identify and might make them more engaging to the dog.
This information becomes a bit obvious once it is pointed out, but paying attention to contrasting colors in dog training can help your dog learn faster and stay safer as you both play together.