Best Colour for Dog Toys
Dogs don’t see colour in the same way we do. Because of this, it’s important to understand which colours dogs can actually see so you can choose the best colour for dog toys.
For some weird reason, a lot of people assume dogs are colorblind. This isn’t the case. Dogs can see different colours, just not as many as you. Dogs are able to see in two colour wavelengths: blue and yellow.
But dogs still see colour when they look at a colourful object, they just see it a little differently. For example, red will appear brown, purple will appear blue, and anything that’s green, yellow, orange will look like a dull yellow depending on shade and intensity.
What Colour Toys do Dogs Like?
What colour is the best for dog toys? Does colour even have an effect on which toys a dog will like the best? The answer is absolutely. Colour can have a huge impact on which toy your dog likes the most. If you purchase a toy and don’t understand why your dog isn’t interested in playing with it, it could be because the colour is boring to them. They might not even notice it.
As an example, something red will blend in with the green grass of your yard. Even though it looks bright red to you, it will be camouflaged to your puppy. Green and red are almost identical to dogs.
The best colour for a dog toy is blue. Blue will stand out against all the other colours your dog can see. When you throw a blue ball into the grass, it will appear bright and shiny to your dog.
The same can be said for yellow. In general, the brighter the better. A bright yellow toy will stand out in your dog’s vision.
At the same time, some dogs just don’t like some toys. Even if you have colourful blue and yellow toys, your dog still might not be interested and that’s not your fault. Every dog has a different temperament, and every dog likes different things. Some dogs might prefer a toy based on how squeaky it is, the way it smells, or even the texture of it.
To be completely honest, the best wait to choose a new dog toy is to just buy all the dog toys in all the different colours and let your dog find out for itself which toys are the best. Just remember that when it comes to colour, blue and yellow are going to be the ones that your dog notices.
What Are the Best and Worst Colours for Dog Toys?
Like we said already, blue and yellow are the top colours for dog toys. But there is a third colour that dogs can see. It’s purple. Purple is also a great colour for your dog since to them it will appear as blue.
The three worst colours for dog toys are red, orange, and green. This is crazy considering the most popular toys you see for sale at dog shops are usually red or bright orange. Dogs can barely see red at all. If it’s dark red, it basically looks black in their vision. The same can be said for bright orange. It looks like foggy brown.
The reason companies sell red and orange toys even though dogs can’t see them is because people like them. People love things that are red – red is associated with strong emotions and thought processing, so they’re more inclined to buy these toys for their pets. But whatever you do, stay away from red, green, and orange – stick with purple, yellow, and blue.
Can Dogs See in the Dark?
Dogs can see way better at night than people can. This is how dogs are able to play fetch with their favourite toys even at night. When you throw the blue ball in the dark and your dog brings it back right away even though you would probably never be able to find it in the darkness, it’s because they can see better than you.
Dogs have special structures like mirrors in the backs of their eyes that reflect light. This structure is known as a tapetum, and it bounces light waves at its retina a second time. This gives the retina more opportunity for collecting the available light. It means they can see basically twice as good as us.
If you’ve ever noticed a dog’s eyes shining in the dark, it’s because of the tapetum. It really is like a mirror inside of their eyes, and it makes them shine in the dark.
What Colour is the Most Relaxing for Dogs?
If you’re interested in practicing some relaxation therapy with your dog, know that colour plays a huge role. Colour is not only important when choosing dog toys, but also when choosing paint in your own home. Some colours are more immediately jarring for animals. Reds and oranges look dull gray and boring to dogs and they can’t tell them apart very well.
To create a calm and relaxing environment for your canine friend, try keeping colour schemes centred around light blues at the violet end of the spectrum. Some believe by having an environment with mainly calm blue colours, a dog will feel less stressed and more at ease.
If your dog is suffering from some stress-related problems a snuffle mat may help with some of that.
Can Dogs See Better Than People?
Even though dogs have better night vision than people, they don’t actually see better than us. Dogs have blurry vision. Some estimates place the blurriness at 20% to 40% more than humans. If you wear glasses, a dog basically sees as you do without your glasses on.
But it’s not all bad. Dogs have better peripheral vision than us because their eyes are closer to the sides of their heads. Their vision is about 240 degrees wide, whereas we only see at about 200 degrees wide.
Dogs also see motion better than we do. Even with their blurry vision, dogs pick up the slightest bit of motion immediately, noticing things moving probably a lot faster than you.