Since ancient times, dogs have been our friends and live in families. It is not surprising that people are so interested in the details of how their body is structured and how it functions, what is the psychology of the four-legged pet. Scientists, veterinarians, zoopsychologists have been studying all this for a long time.
For example, here is one of the questions that people are interested in: “How do dogs see?” Although scientists have already received an answer to it, not all owners and breeders know it. The explanations often contain incorrect information, many myths are walking among the owners about the sight of dogs.
As in humans, a special organ, the eye, provides visual function in pets. He is paired, all animals have two of them. The basic structure of the organs of vision is the same in humans and dogs. However, there are differences.
How do dogs see during the day?
In general, their daily vision is no better than human. But for a predator this does not play a big role. The structure of their eyes, as well as of the whole organism, is maximally adapted for other purposes, due to their lifestyle.
Color perception
The particularities of dogs seeing colors are one of the main issues that worried people. Not so long ago, it was found that dogs distinguish colors, and their eyesight is not at all black and white, as previously thought. However, it’s not the same as ours. It is known that in the eye there are special receptor cells that have different shapes, the so-called “cones” and “rods”. The former are responsible for the perception of color, the latter for acuity and night vision. There are three types of cones: perceiving a red-orange range of colors, yellow-green and blue-violet. Dogs have fewer of these cells in general; the first variety is completely absent. In this regard, these animals do not perceive the difference between red and yellow-green.
However, they are able to distinguish between shades of gray. This is due to the presence of a larger number of sticks and their increased sensitivity. The dog owes the same peculiarity to its
exceptional ability to see a moving object far away. Due to the location of these receptors close to the optical axis of the eye, where people have a “yellow spot” with congestion, the pet determines the distance much better than a person. Nearby, the animal does not see very well: all objects at a distance of less than 30 cm are already blurring.
By the way, the visual fields in dogs are elongated, oval (in humans - round), and the axis of the eyes are not parallel to each other, but diverge at an angle of about 20 degrees. This greatly expands the pet review. Of course, in breeds with a short muzzle, this indicator approaches that of a person.
How do dogs see in the dark?
This animal refers to the transition between day and night, therefore, must have excellent vision in any light. As already mentioned, a large number of sticks determines the benefits of daytime vision, but it also matters with a lack of light. There is another point: in dogs, behind the layer of rods and cones, there is another layer called Tapetum, which consists of a reflective pigment. Due to the fact that almost all the light falling into the eyes is perceived by the cells, the night vision of dogs is 3-4 times better than human.
Of course, what you now know about how dogs see can hardly affect your choice of a pet for a family. There are no specific differences in color and light perception. A genetic predisposition of a particular breed exists only for various kinds of diseases of the organs of vision.
Choosing an adequate pet for your family, of course, you should focus on these data in the same way as on information about other aptitudes for diseases. But first of all, you must make the choice of a dog for the house according to the purpose for which it was bred, its exterior features and its capabilities, including financial.