It is widely understood that dogs perceive colors differently than humans do, resembling a form of color blindness in people. While humans possess three types of cones in their eyes, enabling us to distinguish between various combinations of red, yellow, and green, dogs only have two cones, allowing them to see in blue or yellow, as well as shades of gray – a vision known as dichromatic. But, could dogs actually have a favorite color? Recent research suggests that dogs may indeed exhibit a preference for the color yellow. A group of animal behaviorists from the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research conducted a study which indicated that street dogs in India tend to favor eating from yellow bowls over other colors.
The study, published in the journal Animal Cognition, aimed to investigate whether the limited colors visible to dogs, with yellow being one of them, held any significance to them. To explore this, the researchers worked with 458 free-range dogs residing near Kolkata in West Bengal, presenting them with experiments involving choosing between differently colored food bowls. Street dogs in India often rely on the generosity of passersby for food, making them accustomed to being offered food in bowls.
In the initial experiment, 134 dogs were given the opportunity to select from three bowls of food, placed closely together. Surprisingly, 72 of these dogs opted for the yellow bowl. When the experiment was repeated with empty bowls, the dogs continued to show a preference for the yellow one. In the subsequent experiment, dogs were given the choice between an empty yellow bowl and gray bowls filled with food. Once again, the majority of dogs, 41 out of 52, chose the yellow bowl. The researchers even repeated the experiment with more appealing food, obtaining similar results.
In a final experiment, the researchers covered the bowls to eliminate any visual cues, leading to the dogs selecting randomly, indicating that the preference for the yellow bowls was not due to scent cues from previous trials. The researchers proposed several theories to explain the dogs’ preference for yellow, including the ecological valence theory and the species-confidence hypothesis; however, none fully elucidated the dogs’ inclination towards yellow. Further investigation is needed to determine the reasons behind dogs’ apparent preference for this particular color.
While dogs possess only two cones in their eyes, prompting questions about whether dogs are color blind, their vision can be likened to a human with red-green color blindness, as dogs primarily see blues, yellows, and grays. Are you intrigued to learn more about dogs? Check out our list of fascinating dog facts below!
