How Well Can Dogs See?

The eye depends on light to see, and how well we see depends on how much light the eye can absorb. When the eye’s cells receive sensory signals from light and color, those signals are sent to the brain, which converts them into visual images.

Light travels through the eye to the retina. The retina contains rod cells and cone cells, and the number and type of these cells determine what the eye can perceive.

This is where dogs’ eyes differ from their owners’. But that doesn’t mean dogs have poor eyesight or that their world is black and white.

Dogs Can See Color

A dog’s eye contains fewer cone cells than a human’s, which affects how well they see in daylight. For a long time, it was believed that dogs lived in a colorless world, but that has since been proven false.

Dogs can perceive colors, but they have more difficulty distinguishing certain ones. Their color vision is similar to red-green color blindness in humans.

Dogs can see a wide range of natural color shades. They perceive red as a darker tone and green as a lighter one. So no, their world isn’t black and white — it’s closer to blue, since they see bluish tones best.

Can Dogs See in the Dark?

A dog’s eye has a high concentration of light-sensitive rod cells. These help dogs see well in low-light conditions. While cats are famous for their night vision, dogs actually have similar capabilities.

Their large pupils allow them to absorb even faint light. Additionally, a dog’s eye reflects light back inside — meaning light is captured twice.

That’s why you might see a dog’s eyes glowing at night when you shine a light on them. Human eyes only capture light once, by comparison. This light-enhancing ability helps dogs see quite well in the dark.

That’s also why dogs love walks at dusk — it’s when rabbits and other prey animals come out of hiding.

Dogs’ Eyes Are Built for Movement

You may have noticed how a rabbit freezes when caught in a car’s headlights. Prey animals instinctively stay still to avoid detection. But dogs, as predators with strong hunting instincts, are wired to detect even the slightest motion.

Thanks to their many rod cells, dogs can see movement far better than we can. Studies show dogs can detect moving objects up to 900 meters (about 2,950 feet) away.

However, they have more trouble spotting things that are standing still. If an object isn’t moving, dogs can only see it from about 500 meters (1,640 feet). Their overall vision isn’t as sharp as ours, and they tend to be slightly nearsighted.

Some dog breeds are even genetically predisposed to significant nearsightedness.

Dogs Actually See Quite Well

While dogs’ daytime visual sharpness isn’t quite on par with humans, their eyes work exceptionally well in dim light, and they’re excellent at detecting movement.

Some colors may blend together, but dogs still perceive color — particularly shades of blue and neutral tones. Though dogs are famous for their incredible sense of smell, that doesn’t mean their vision is lacking. In fact, dogs can see surprisingly well.

Our team may have used AI to assist in the creation of this content, which has been reviewed by our editors.