How your dog sees the world – Surprising facts about dog vision
Have you ever wondered why your dog can't see the treat right in front of his nose, but can easily see a bird 500 meters away? No wonder - dogs see the world very differently than we do! Their vision is specially adapted to their needs and differs from ours in many ways. Let's take a closer look!
Close but still blurry – Why dogs have poor close vision
Did you know that dogs cannot focus properly on objects under 30 cm? Everything that is directly in front of their nose becomes blurry for them. Instead of using their eyes, they rely on other senses:
🐶 Super nose instead of super eyes – Because their close vision is weaker, dogs perceive their surroundings primarily through their sense of smell. No wonder they sniff first before they recognize something!
🐶 Snout hairs as radar – The fine vibrissae (whisker hairs) help dogs to sense obstacles that they cannot properly perceive with their eyes.
This explains why your dog sometimes sniffs left and right before finding the treat right in front of him – his nose is simply more accurate than his eyes.
In the distance a movement expert
While dogs struggle up close, they are true professionals when it comes to perceiving movement at a distance.
🐕 Things that stand still are often overlooked - An immobile object can quickly become invisible to your dog. If your dog doesn't recognize you when you're standing rooted to the spot - move a little and he'll react!
🐕 Movement = visible – Your dog can detect a moving object up to 1000 meters away! That's pretty impressive, right?
🐕 Better visibility at dusk – Dogs see much better in low light than we do. Their eyes are designed to detect movement even in low light – perfect for hunting at dusk!
What does this mean for training?
This knowledge can make your dog training much more effective!
✅ Use big, clear hand signals – Small, subtle movements are easily lost. When you work with hand signals, make them big and clear.
✅ Move to get attention – Is your dog ignoring you? Maybe you are standing too close or too still. Make a bigger movement or take a step back – that helps!
✅ Pay attention to distance – Your dog will recognize you better from a distance if you move. If he doesn't notice you, try a gesture or a change of direction.
Conclusion: Dogs see differently – so train cleverly!
Dogs perceive their environment very differently than we humans do. Movement is key for them, while they rely more on smell and touch over short distances. If you keep this in mind, you can improve your dog training in a targeted manner and avoid misunderstandings.
Have you ever experienced your dog not noticing you because you were too quiet? Tell us about your experience in the comments! 🐶👇
