What we see is not what our dogs see
Q: Our dog can spot a squirrel on the other side of the park.
However, he can’t seem to see a treat on the floor. How is it that my dog can see things that are far away and yet seem nearly blind at other times?
A: It’s easy to get trapped into a human centric view of the world. Perception changes from one species to another. What we see is not what our dogs see.
It is not true that dogs are colour blind. They see in two colours ranging from yellow through to blue. Colours such as red, purple and orange would look brown, black or grey. Their view of the world is muted as compared to ours.
This is why dog sport equipment tends to be painted in yellow and blue. These colours are easy for the dog to see. If you want to choose a toy that your dog can easily spot in the grass, go with blue or yellow.
Dogs can see better in low light conditions. There are cells in the eye called rods. Dogs have more of these than people do. Additionally, dogs have tissue at the back of their eye that bounce light back through the retina. It is this tissue that makes a dogs eyes glow in photographs.
However, having the ability to see better in dim conditions comes with a catch. A dog’s vision is fuzzier. Reflected light results in a diffused view of the world.
They also have diminished binocular vision, in which the sight from the left and right eyes overlap, allowing for things like depth perception. A dog’s eyes are on the side of their head. While this allows them to scan the environment better, it decreases their ability to judge things like depth.
Factors like binocular vision are very breed specific. Some breeds have eyes that sit closer to the front of their head. Others have their eyes more off to the side. It is entirely possible that a dog’s ability to easily catch a tossed treat may be tied to the shape of their skull and thus breed specific.
Dogs are born to see motion, while sacrificing the ability to see detail. To survive in the wild, they don’t need to know what a squirrel looks like. They just need to spot it easily.
In the home, imagine that you’re living with a creature that has a muted, colour blind-like, fuzzy view of the world. The stationary treat may be very hard to see indeed.
Q: Is it fair to have a dog in an apartment? We want a dog, but feel that maybe it would be better to wait until we have a house with a large yard.
A: There are many dogs that live happy lives in apartments. There are probably just as many dogs that have deprived lives in yards.
Living in an apartment certainly comes with some extra challenges. Neighbours are much closer. People who live in apartments have the additional pressure of ensuring their dogs are welcome members of the community. Early and ongoing training is essential for conflict free apartment living.
Apartment living also means far more frequent walks. Every trip is bit of a production. One cannot let dogs out into the yard for a potty break. All these requirements are not necessarily a bad thing. Families with large yards can easily slip into bad habits. Walks fall by the wayside. Socialization stagnates. Behaviour such as barking is ignored.
The common denominator is the human element. Responsible families will be responsible whether in an apartment or a house.