night eyes – can dogs see in the dark?

Ever wonder if a dog can see in the dark?

While a dog’s eyes are generally less acute than our own, they actually see better in the dark (by about five or six times) than a human.  This was largely useful in their predatory days—detecting motion in low light was a matter of survival!  The trade off of good night vision is the inability to distinguish detail and color as accurately as a human.

All eyes are made up of a series of rods and cones.  Rods help detect motion in dim light, while cones detect color and detail in good light.  Therefore, a dog’s eyes have more rods than a human’s, but about one-tenth the amount of cones.  So, count on Fido to fly down the path ahead of you in the dark, but don’t expect him to know if he’s chasing a squirrel or a chipmunk.