Dogs’ Eye View

Yellow, blue & grey

Human eyes have 3 different colour cones picking up colours at different wavelengths, enabling us to see a rainbow, but dogs have only 2; the yellow one picks up medium to long light wavelengths, the blue picks up shorter light wavelengths.  Reds and greens are hard for dogs to distinguish between, perceived only in yellowish tones.

Between a quarter and a third of 16-34 year olds are aware of this new information, leaving the 55+ age group behind with only 16% knowing; Northerners are proving themselves more knowledgeable with awareness in 1/3 of those from Leeds and Manchester, Bristolians the least aware at just 9%.

It’s this different way dogs perceive light and colour that influences some of their behaviours and affects how they interact with their environment.  Whilst our research shows that only a fifth of dog owners are aware that their dogs see in shades of blue, yellow and grey and only two fifths realise the significance of this, three quarters of owners would love to have a better idea of how their beloved dogs see the world.

Super powers 

Compared with humans, dogs’ eyes have more light-sensitive rod cells, a larger pupil and a special reflective layer behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum, giving them:

• Excellent low-light vision
• Superior motion detection

Crepuscular 

This enhanced ability to see in low light levels is an ancestral legacy from their days of hunting at dawn and dusk, when colour is less relevant, and they remain crepuscular – being more active at these times of day.  If you’ve ever been woken by a manic puppy at dawn, or hauled yourself, exhausted, through games at bedtime, you’ll know what we mean!  Dogs are also able to see a moving target at 1 ½ times the distance of a stationary one.

Fear of boredom

Most owners want their dogs to live their best lives and nearly half worry about boredom; it’s easy to give physical exercise on walks, but we all need mental stimulation too.  Typically, owners spend 41 minutes a day actively playing with or training their dog.  Women are more likely to walk their dogs, visit dog-friendly locations, and play with their dogs with toys and games.  Men tend to spend more on their dog’s enrichment; 65% spend more than £100 a year on enriching their dogs’ lives, compared with 52% of women.

Yet there is no need to be one of the 17% of owners feeling guilty that they don’t do enough to enrich their dogs’ lives; Animal Behaviourist at Agria, Hannah Molloy, offers these free enrichment tips:

• Choose colours they can see – for toys, bedding and accessories, blue & yellow will stand out more for your dog – that explains all those lost red balls!
• Allow them to express natural behaviours – if digging is their thing, protect your flower beds and give them a sandpit; if they’re destructive, provide empty cardboard boxes to vent on, enabling them to feel satisfied.
• Give them choices to make – provide more than one type of bed; let them direct the walk; and allow them time off-lead or, at least, on a long one.
• Enrich mealtimes – add variety to their meals with different tastes, smells, textures and temperatures.
• Encourage scent work, it’s like mindfulness for dogs – whilst humans can smell a teaspoon of sugar in a teacup, dogs can smell it in 2 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water.  Scent is such an important means for dogs to process the world around them.  Let them sniff freely on walks, or combine scenting with enriching mealtimes by scattering dry kibble over an area for them to sniff out and eat.  Do avoid scent plugs and timed spray boosters which can give dogs anxiety.
• Encourage sociability – help your dog make friends with two or three dogs they can see regularly, and take them to dog-friendly spaces where they can interact with other dogs.  And have fun playing with them at home!