When the lights go off, how well can your dogs see? There are a lot of speculations regarding how well do dogs eyesight work in the dark. Can they see better than we can?
Yes, actually they can. In fact, you may notice that your dog can easily navigate their way through the dark. Some dogs can even play and plan schemes in the dark.
You might have even heard of dogs causing fun chaos such as jailbreaks and parties once the lights go off.
Dogs are able to do this because they have larger pupils which allow more light to come in. Additionally, their retinas have a lot of “rods” in their eyes – these are cells that are sensitive to light and motion. The rods in their eyes help distinguish light from shadow.
While they do not have night vision that’s quite as good as cats’ vision as well as cats, dogs also have a membrane called tapetum lucidum at the rear of their eyes. This membrane is also found on cats, birds, fishes, and other nocturnal predator animals.
The tapetum lucidum allows other light that is not absorbed by the rods to rebound to the retina. This means it can take in more light so that dogs can see better during nighttime.
Dogs can see differently than humans during nighttime, if not better. They see shades of gray instead of colors because of the rods in their eyes. This also means that in the dark, dogs can see more clearly than us.
Their eyes are very sensitive to movements and motions. Hence, they are alert to even the smallest movements and can quickly sense any stranger or prey. This specific skill set allows dogs to be extremely helpful during night hunting or guard duty.
In short, dogs can see in the dark – they just see the world differently than we do. So do not be shocked if your dog is alert even more during nighttime. They are just doing their duty as the protector of the household.
