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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Fascinating facts that will help you see the world through a dog’s eyes
Kirsten Spruch
01.21.20
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.
