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Dog vision: the science and the numbers

Canis familiaris · order Carnivora · Mammals: all the numbers

Dogs have 2 colour receptor classes (431 and 555 nm): mainly blues and yellows; reds and greens look alike.[1] Their sharpest vision resolves 8.3 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[5] Their eyes cover about 250° with 75° seen by both eyes; a reflective layer (tapetum) helps in dim light.[10]

See it on your photoBack to How do dogs see?
  • 2colour receptor classesMeasured*
  • 8.3cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured*
  • 250°field of viewMeasured*
  • 77.5hertz flicker fusion (motion)Measured*

The dog (Canis familiaris) is a mammal in the order Carnivora. Its eyes belong to the vision type Day dichromat mammal: two cone types (blue and yellow, so reds and greens merge), moderate sharpness and a horizontal band of sharp vision. Measured in this species: colour, sharpness, field of view, foveas, night vision and motion (flicker fusion). Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What dogs see: colour receptors

Dog colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmDog: 2 receptor peaks at 431, 555 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Dog: 431, 555 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has two colour receptor classes (a dichromat): reds and greens fall on one axis, as in red-green colour blindness in people.
  • Its sharpest vision resolves 8.3 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • Its eyes cover about 250° around the head, with 75° seen by both eyes at once.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 77.5 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks about 1.3 times slower to it.[23][24]
  • Activity pattern: cathemeral.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the dog (Canis familiaris), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
2 receptor classes: 431 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 555 nm (LWS (long))
measured in this species
Measured (not re-verified)[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[1][2][3][4]
SharpnessAcuity
8.3 cycles per degree
median of 1 anatomical-ganglion rows (method priority rule)
Measured (not re-verified)[5]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[6][7]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
75°
median of 1 rows (eyes-at-rest rows preferred)
Measured (not re-verified)[5]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[8][5]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[9]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[9]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[8][5]
Total field of view
250°
species-v1.csv
Measured (not re-verified)[10]
Blind area behind the head
110°
blind area = 360 - total field
Derived[10]
Eye placement
frontal
frontal if binocular overlap >= 60 deg, else lateral
Derived[5]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
0
fovea_present / area_centralis_type (retinal topography; count 1 = fovea present, 0 = none)
Measured[11]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[11]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[11]
Fovea type
area centralis, horizontal streak		Measured[11]
Night visionActivity pattern
cathemeral
mode of 3 rows (of 3 rows): cathemeral; mesopic
Measured (not re-verified)[1][12]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[13][14][15][1][16][17][12][18]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[19][20]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[21]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[13][14][15][1][16][17][12][18]
Pupil shape
circular		Estimated[19]
Reflective layer (tapetum)
yes		Measured[22]
Rods vs cones
mixed
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[1][12]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
77.5 Hz
median of 2 bright-light rows (behavioural/whole-eye ERG rows; all rows: [75.0, 80.0])
Measured (not re-verified)[23][24]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[23][24]

All mammals side by side: Mammals: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Longcore 2023
  2. Kirwan
  3. Müller et al. 2009
  4. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  5. Heffner et al. 1992
  6. Kirk et al. 2004
  7. Veilleux et al. 2014
  8. Heesy 2004
  9. Campbell & Green 1965
  10. Miller & Murphy 1995
  11. Kopania et al. 2025
  12. Schmitz et al. 2011
  13. Anderson et al. 2017
  14. Borges et al. 2018
  15. Wilman et al. 2014
  16. Maor et al. 2017
  17. Jones et al. 2009
  18. Moura et al. 2024
  19. Banks et al. 2015
  20. Cervino et al. 2021
  21. Guareschi et al. 2025
  22. Schwab et al. 2002
  23. Healy et al. 2013
  24. Inger et al. 2014

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.