Compared to humans, dogs only see the world in shades of blue, yellow and gray. In addition, their distance vision is around four times worse. In return, they see around 5 times brighter in the dark, can distinguish relevant objects better and perceive fast objects and their surroundings more clearly.
Blind dogs also have a much better sense of direction than visually impaired people. Because dogs are so-called nasal animals (“macrosmatics”).
Your nose is the primary sensory organ that you use to perceive your environment. And depending on the race, this is up to 100,000 times better than in humans. [1]
Dogs can also hear up to 4 times further away and can also perceive ultrasound. They are therefore significantly less dependent on their vision. [2]
In contrast, people primarily use their eyes to find their way in the world. In some categories, their eyesight is also superior to dogs:
CategoryWho is better?Color recognitionPeopleNight visionDogsIndirect visionDogsDistance visionPeopleMotion visionDogsDirect visionPeopleSelective visionDogs
Can't understand some of the terms above? No problem. So let's go through the categories together step-by-step
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#1 People see colors better
Have you ever noticed that the obstacles in dog competitions are almost always blue, yellow or white?
This is because dogs are so-called “dichromats”. So you only have two color scepters in mind – blue and yellow.
Specifically, this means: Instead of a colorful world, dogs only see a total of 10,000 different colors. In addition to blue and yellow, this also includes all shades of gray. [3]
If dogs could only see black and white, then the obstacles on the course would also be in that color. So this is just a myth.
In contrast, humans are so-called “trichromats” – so we have three color receptors and can see shades of red in addition to blue and money. [4]
In total, we can differentiate a whopping 1 million different colors. So around 100 times more than dogs.
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By the way, now you also know why red dog toys are not a good idea. Because while we can easily see it in the green grass, it is difficult for dogs to see.
But 3 color receptors is by no means the maximum. Butterflies have a whopping 6! So you see around a trillion different colors. [5]
By the way, the record holder here is the so-called “mantis shrimp”. It has 16 color receptors and can therefore see 100 quintillion different colors.
That's a 1 followed by 32 zeros. Imagine how crazy the world must look with that.
While dogs can only see shades of blue, yellow and gray, humans can also see all shades of red. Thanks to the additional color receptor in the eye, people can distinguish around 100 times more colors from one another.
#2 Dogs see better at night
Dogs see around 5 times brighter in the dark than we humans. They inherited this from their ancestors. Wolves mostly hunt at dusk and dawn. [6]
So when it is relatively dark. Night vision also serves to protect yourself. Because other predators such as bears are also active at this time.
Why dogs are so clearly superior to us here goes back to the anatomy of their eyes. These essentially differ in the following 3 points:
Both humans and dogs have many cones – light-sensitive cells – in their eyes. Since dogs have a lot more of it, they can also absorb more light.
In the picture above you can see what the same environment looks like for dogs and us humans. So what is no longer visible to us, dogs can still see quite clearly.
- 2) Larger lenses and pupils
In dogs and humans, pupil size varies depending on brightness. In the dark, people have an average of 7 mm and in the light it is around 3 mm. [6]
In contrast, dogs' lenses alone are up to 4 times larger than humans'. This means that up to 4 times more sun rays can penetrate the eye. [7]
- 3) Reflective layer of the retina
Have you ever noticed that dogs' eyes glow in the dark when you drive towards them?
This is due to the “tapetum lucidum” – a special layer in the dogs’ retina. This reflects the incoming light rays back out through the lens.
The effect? This means that dogs' eyes can absorb around twice as many light rays as humans. By the way, we don't have this layer. [8]
The dark dusk and dawn look significantly brighter for dogs. You can therefore easily catch Frisbees under these conditions.
Dogs, on the other hand, can't see anything in complete darkness. Because their eyes simply amplify the existing light. So about the same as a night vision device.
A light-tight room also looks completely black to them. However, they can still orientate themselves better due to their superior nose and hearing.
Dogs see around 5 times brighter in the dark than humans. The reason for this is their larger pupils, their larger number of cones and their reflective retina. In complete darkness and without any sunlight, dogs only see black.
#3 Dogs see their environment better
While humans are better at seeing straight ahead (“foveal vision”), dogs are superior at indirect vision (“peripheral vision”).
The main reasons for this are:
The average human eye distance is 6.2 cm. Depending on body size, genetics and gender, the values vary between 5.4 and 7.2 cm. [9]
For dogs, the distance varies significantly depending on the breed. On average, the eyes should be a full 7.7 cm apart.
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Expressed in relative numbers: In dogs, the distance between their eyes is on average 24% larger, which means that their viewing angle is also wider.
- 2) More lateral eye orientation
Dogs' eyes are not only further apart, but also turned outwards at a slight angle.
The big advantage is that dogs' natural viewing angle is up to 42% larger than that of humans. They therefore see their environment much better.
Dogs' frontal vision is comparatively worse. This also explains why treats often land on the snout after being thrown from the front.
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In plain language: people have an average viewing angle of 190°. However, only the 120° in the middle is really sharp. [10]
Dogs, on the other hand, have a viewing angle of around 240°-270°, depending on the breed. Greyhounds in particular are the record holders here. [11]
Dogs naturally have a 42% larger viewing angle and can therefore see their surroundings much better than humans. However, people's eyes are more precise when it comes to direct, foveal vision.
#4 People see better into the distance
The so-called “depth perception” describes our ability to see things in 3D. This is the only way we can estimate the distance to an object.
People without visual impairment have an average depth perception of 20/20. Dogs, on the other hand, only perceive depth in a ratio of 20/80. [12]
Specifically, this means: What we can see from a distance of 80 feet (approx. 24 meters), dogs only see at a distance of 20 feet (approx. 6 meters).
On average, we humans can see into the distance around four times better than dogs. [11]
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Any dog owner will probably jump up at this point and say, “Never! That can't be. My dog is already chasing a cat from 100 meters!
Yes, that's right. However, this is not due to dogs' eyesight. Rather, their excellent sense of smell and their attentive hearing are responsible for this.
For comparison: Under good conditions, dogs can smell up to 20 kilometers away and can hear around four times further away than humans. [13, 14]
This also explains why even blind dogs still have an excellent sense of direction.
Compared to dogs, people can see four times better into the distance. In combination with their hearing and sense of smell, dogs are still able to easily perceive objects even from far away.
#5 Dogs see movement better
Just as a flip book is made up of individual images, our vision is also made up of a sequence of individual images.
Depending on the lighting conditions and individual attention, our eyes can take up to 60 images per second. So our “critical flicker frequency” is 60 Hz. [15]
Dogs, on the other hand, see up to 80 images per second – around 33% more. They can therefore see fast objects much more clearly than we humans. [9]
By the way, a household fly sees up to 250 images per second. They see even quick hand movements from us as clearly as if they were in slow motion.
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This also explains why old televisions often flicker. Because they often have less than 60 Hz, so we can see the pause between the image sequence.
In practice, it is therefore much easier for dogs to catch Frisbees or other balls. Because their natural visual reflex is a lot better.
Compared to humans, dogs see fast objects much more clearly. With a critical flicker frequency of around 80 Hz, they can catch balls and other fast objects much better.
#6 Dogs select better when they see
Have you ever noticed that everyone is suddenly driving a red Smart car since you got yours?
This is where your brain is tricking you. In order not to be overwhelmed by all the sensory stimuli, your brain filters your perception – the so-called “selective vision”.
People are already really good at this. Compared to dogs, their filter is significantly coarser. Dogs therefore naturally only perceive the absolutely relevant things.
Specifically, this means: While we see a room with a table, a sofa, colorful flowers and a cat, dogs only see the cat.
It is therefore all the more important to teach assistance dogs such as guide dogs the importance of “unimportant things”:
- A curb
- A zebra crossing
- A car pulling out of a parking space
People therefore also have a better eye for creative things such as art, fashion and design.
Dogs have better selective vision than humans. Your perception will…