Did you know that dogs can see more colors and not just black and white? Research studies have been able to establish what shades of colors dogs actually see. Basically, dogs view the world in hues of blue, yellow, and gray.

Humans possess special light receptors in the eye. These are called cones. Cones enable humans to differentiate the entire visual spectrum. Humans are able to see all the colors of the rainbow because our eyes have three types of cones. Dogs have only two cones, which can significantly reduce the number of pigments they are able to perceive.

One study trained dogs to receive a treat as a reward when they are shown 4 different pieces of colored paper—dark and light yellow, dark and light blue. They then showed the dogs dark and light shades of colors that have not been introduced to the dogs. Most of the dogs in the study chose the 4 pieces of colored paper they were familiar with. This study proves that dogs can differentiate objects based on their color.

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