65 Fascinating facts that will help you see the world through a dog’s eyes

Did you know that dogs see movement in slow motion according to research? This explains why you can miss a frisbee tossed your way occasionally, but your dog seems to catch it every time.

They also don’t see color the same way humans do, and when you’re upset, happy or any other emotion, they rely on their sense of smell to understand you, not their eyes.

Turns out man (and woman’s) best friend sees the world quite differently than their human pals. These differences explain so much of why dogs are such great companions. Where humans are weak, dogs more than makeup for with their strengths.

We’ve outlined these plus so many more fascinating facts about how dogs see the world differently from humans in 65 photos for your enjoyment.

1. Their eyes and ears are not always open

For the first two weeks of their life, dogs’ eyes and ears actually remain closed.

2. They see color in blues and yellows

However, that doesn’t mean everything is just black-and-white. It’s more than that. They see mostly blues and yellows.

3. Sensing human anger

Dogs often lick their mouths when they are having a dog-to-dog interaction, that’s not necessarily bad. But they also lick their mouths when they can tell a human is angry.

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4. Mixed signals

People are often responsible for giving their dogs mixed commands, and then when the dogs don’t follow we blame them. But really, a lot of the times, we’re telling them to do one thing but then making a physical signal that means something completely different.

5. Seeing a happy human face

The hormone oxycon is said to play an important role in the growth of a human-dog bond. It’s what makes dogs interested in a happy human face and feel threatened by an angry human face.

6. Dogs watch us very closely

They pay very good attention, which is why it is super important to hone in on both what we are saying and doing. It all matters.

7. Dogs only have 2 kinds of color receptors

Compared to humans, who have three. That’s why it’d be better to give them a blue toy to play with in the grass. They will respond to it better.

8. Individual perspectives

All dogs are different so they can have slight variations in how they see the world based on their personalities. That is why it’s important to pay close attention to what each one needs.

9. Recognizing other dogs

Dogs can identify other dogs based off of facial features alone, when there is no movement, scent or sound. Smart boys!

10. Humans don’t necessarily have better vision

It would be more accurate to say that humans and dogs see the world differently. They can’t see things in as great detail as humans because they only have fewer cone receptors in their retinas. They do, however, rely on their other senses where humans might be weaker. Which brings us to our next point…

11. Dogs are visual generalists

Which means that their eyes work at a range of different light levels. They can usually see better in the dark than humans can.

12. Dogs can sniff out allergic reactions

It’s almost like a superpower. They are so good at it, they are now being trained to transform lives all around the world.

13. Some ups and downs with vision

Dogs can process movement better than humans, but they can’t really process details of images as well. For example, they can’t really distinguish between the colors green and red.

14. Movement is everything

When it comes to vision, at least. That is because dogs process what they see more quickly than we do. That’s why they are so good at catching toys!

15. Dogs can sniff out blood sugar

They can tell when your blood sugar is too low and they can definitely tell you before you pass out.

16. The tone of your voice isn’t the only thing that matters

Turns out that dogs can understand words, so your words usually have to match your happy tone if you want your pups to be genuinely happy.

17. When a puppy opens their eyes for the very first time…

They use vision to move around. It is a whole new world of sensory stimulation.

18. One species

Dogs might not always appear to belong to one species. Other dogs can recognize that easily, while we may not be able to.

19. How many words can a dog learn?

One dog was able to learn up to 1,022 words, based off of one experiment.

20. Ears

Dogs can often rely on their ears to express the emotions they are feeling. If they are excited, they will put their ears back and wiggle them.

21. African wild dogs

These are one of the most endangered animals in Africa. The alpha pair always walks everywhere together.

22. Dogs are less sensitive to variations of gray than humans are

They’re also only about half as sensitive to changes in brightness.

23. Their sight completely ranges

Dogs’ vision is different from humans’ vision in every area including depth perception, the visual field of view, and sensitivity to motion.

24. There is no universal “dog”

Dogs come in a huge range of shapes and sizes, and with that, things like their vision also differs. Certain breeds can have certain strengths in different areas, like sight.

25. When an African wild pup is pregnant…

The male pup does not leave her side. Not for a second!

26. The nose

One theory is that canine visual acuity can be related to the shape and size of their nose. Short-nosed dogs tend to have better up-close vision. Long-nosed dogs have better peripheral vision.

27. Dogs can be afraid of things they don’t usually recognize

That’s why some dog owners have said that their dogs will bark at someone who is wearing a hat or sunglasses, or even walking on crutches.

28. Nearsighted

To varying degrees, dogs are usually nearsighted.

29. Dogs can smell the chemicals given off by cancerous tumors

Most dogs can do this, they just don’t know that we care. All we would have to do is train them to tell us.

30. The father of African wild dogs treats his pack well

When they are born, he continues to nurture them to make sure they survive.

31. Dogs can sense when their owner is sick

We’re not saying that dogs are doctors, but if their owner is ill with a serious disease, they have the ability to detect that. Then, they will react by seeming kind of sad and “off,” until the problem is cured.

32. Loss of visual acuity

Loss of visual acuity is common in older dogs, which can then change the way they behave. They need a little extra help understanding their world.

33. Identifying other breeds

It is said that dogs can correctly identify what breed another dog is based off of sight and sound.

34. Anixety

Anxiety and social withdrawal can come when a dog begins to lose their vision (from old age usually, much like humans). They might start to bark at strangers on the street and other things like that.

35. Certain people interact better with dogs

It’s true that a person with a lot of emotional intelligence and good social skills are more likely to get along with dogs.

36. The success of a pack depends on their reproductive success

How well they work together is essential.

37. Quality of life

Even though loss of vision can give dogs anxiety, it doesn’t always mean that their quality of life will lessen. Blind or deaf dogs can adapt well to their impairments.

38. Different social skills

The social skills range from dog to dog. If you visit a dog park, you will probably notice right away which dogs have social anxiety and which don’t. The former will have a harder time finding play partners.

39. Certain dogs can protect people from bears

If a polar bear walks in, these dogs with bark and scare them off. They bark as soon as they can smell them.

40. How dogs recognize other dogs

A lot of dogs usually notice other dogs using just sight. Sometimes they can go based off facial expressions alone without the help of movement, scent or sound.

41. Preferring a breed

A lot of owners suggest that their dog has a favorite type of breed. While it hasn’t been confirmed that that is true, it could make sense given the way they sometimes react to certain dogs.

42. Noses can sense the past

While their vision isn’t so hot, their super sense of smell pretty much makes up for it. Dogs can smell the past of a place — what happened there and also what’s coming next.

43. Motion at a distance

While dogs are nearsighted, they are more sensitive to motion at a distance. They can be 10 to 20 times more sensitive than humans.

44. Dogs have a sense of time

Dogs can sense the difference between one and five hours. And if their schedule has enough of a routine, they can sense something — like a walk or meal — is coming up.

45. A dog is as smart as a 2-year-old

And that is most likely why, if there’s a 2-year-old in the family, they have such a special bond with their dog. They both speak roughly 250 words and gestures.

46. Petting a dog

Petting a dog and looking into their eyes releases oxytocin, A.K.A the love hormone.

47. Dogs get jealous

If they see you giving affection to another animal, they can absolutely get jealous.

48. Dachshunds

Dachshunds were initially trained to fight badgers.

49. Hunting

A dog’s vision is best suited to hunting during dawn and dusk.

50. Seeing eye dogs

These dogs are trained to go to the bathroom on command so that their owner can clean it up easier.

51. Spayed or neutered dogs

Spayed or neutered dogs tend to live longer than dogs who are not.

52. Stray dogs in Russia

Stray dogs in Russia are impressive and have basically learned a whole new set of skills. They have learned how to ride the subway (which is pretty complex) and they know how to get off at specific stops in search of food.

53. Smell

Dogs’ noses are said to be 100 million times more sensitive than humans’ noses. That’s pretty strong.

54. Your dog can smell your feelings

Their sense of smell is pretty much, infinitely better than ours. Dogs can absolutely smell fear.

55. Human words

Contrary to popular belief, dogs actually can understand what human words mean.

56. Angry faces

One experiment has shown that when a dog sees an angry human face (specifically sees, emphasizing the importance of their vision), they will lick their mouths.

57. Human faces

Dogs depend on vision to read human faces. Research has shown that they can decipher when a human is happy or angry, and they can see that angry is typically bad.

58. Language-wise, their brains process in similar ways

When understanding words, dogs think similarly to humans. Their right side also deals with emotion and their left side deals with meaning.

59. Composite signals

Dogs have a group of composite signals which includes ears, face, body, tail, vocalizations, gait and even odors.

60. When a dog is truly happy

A dog is truly happy when both sides of their brain match when listening to their owner. If both the emotion and the meaning line up, it will show in the dog’s reaction.

61. Wet noses

It is a well-known fact that dogs have wet noses, but do we understand why? They help to absorb scent chemicals.

62. Wagging their tails

When a dog wags their tail, that usually means they are happy or excited. Their tails are an important part of their body, as it is one of the main things they use to communicate.

63. Separation anxiety

It is not uncommon for a dog to have separation anxiety with their owner. It’s been proven that you can ease this by leaving something with your scent on it, like a piece of clothing. This can bring them comfort.

64. Number two

Does your dog look around for the perfect spot to go number 2? There’s a reason for that: they prefer to poop in alignment with the Earth’s magnetic field.

65. Curling up when sleeping

Many dogs curl up their bodies when they go to sleep. This is because they have an instinct to keep themselves warm and protect their vital organs.

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