Is My Dog Color Blind?

Roses are yellow and violets are blue,

Dogs can see color, but not the same ones as you!

Did you know dogs can see colors? Until recently I believed dogs saw the world like a 1945 cartoon, fun filled and in shades of black and white.

It turns out dogs do see a fun filled world, but it's also full of color. Just not the colors we're used to... Or should I say not the colors that most of us are used to?

For a lot of very scientific reasons (which you can read if you're brave) dogs can see a spectrum of color. It's not the same colors that you and I can see; they're missing a cone cell that humans have. A series of tests showed that dogs have very similar color vision to someone with red-green color blindness. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with color blindness then you may recognize Ishihara's test, which is used on people and in the happy dogos linked in the study above!

Researchers suggest dogs see in hues of blue and yellow. A red ball in green grass both turn into a yellowish mix of color. Makes sense if your dog ever lost a bright red ball in the middle of a field, right?

As I pondered the implications of this discovery, something crossed my mind. Do colors affect dogs' moods?

Color therapy is a thing for people, but you need color vision for this to work! (Again, read at your own peril)

It turns out color therapy is totally a thing for dogs too. Whether or not you subscribe to non traditional medical treatments, studies have proven that colors affect mood in people. Many practitioners use color therapy to help treat dogs as well!

For this reason, we recommend checking out our Poseidon Blue dog beds. Blue is a soothing color to pups, and one of the primary colors they see. (Not hard to find primary colors when dogs only see two colors)

If you have an anxious pup then you may consider trying this dark blue color to soothe their nerves. Why this specific blue? Because it's 15% off for a limited time! Any Poseidon Blue bed will be marked down while supplies last, so we strongly recommend taking advantage of this discount while it lasts.

While you're shopping take a look at a few of our other colors as well. You will find great deals on most of our beds for any discontinued colors!