Do Dogs Have a Favorite Color? They See Colors Much Differently Than We Do

For so many of us, pets are not only our best friends — they are family. Their unconditional love and seemingly endless energy are what so many of us need in general, especially during the pandemic. But how well do we really know them?

When it comes to dogs in particular, it feels like so many things can excite them: Going for a walk, sticks, and their favorite spot in the ditch of your knee are only a few examples. But have you ever thought about your dog's favorite color? We know that they can't really see color the way their humans do. But has that stopped them from picking a shade they really like?

Since every dog is different, we can't exactly say what their favorite color is. But the easiest ones for them to see are blue and yellow. The issue here isn't that dogs can't see color or can only see in black or white.

According to VCA Animal Hospitals, people have three types of cones in their eyes that can tell the difference between blue, red, and green. But dogs only have two types and can only differentiate between blue and yellow.

This is something called dichromatic vision. While dogs do have a limited range of the color wheel in comparison to humans, our furry companions can still see some colors. In fact, dogs can see shades of red, too. They just don't look the same compared to how we see them.

When it comes down to it, dogs can see blue and yellow very easily, but shades of red tend to look "dark brownish-gray or black to a dog," according to VCA Animal Hospitals. They can't tell a red ball apart from a yellow one, and purples appear the same as blues to them. Yellow, orange, and green just appear yellowish as well.

But as for a dog's favorite color? Well, if we had to guess, we'd say it might just be blues and yellows since dogs can see those colors so well.

When it comes to toys, people have so much more to go on to decide what dogs like. They see their dogs playing with certain toys more than others and they aren't just colorful. Toys can be loud, soft, hard, soothing, and more. So do dogs have a favorite toy? It turns out that this depends not only on the dog but the situation at hand.

According to Wag!, dogs tend to like toys with certain sounds or that taste good to them. Things that involve playing fetch are connected to the hunting instincts canines have. But different breeds of dogs were historically bred for different reasons and therefore like different things because of that. Per Wag!, Labs and retrievers like plush toys while English bulldogs tend to like tug of war games.