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> Dogs can track movement and see in low light better than we can. This goes against my experience. When I was dog sitting my mother's dog a few years ago and

> Dogs can track movement and see in low light better than we can. This goes against my experience. When I was dog sitting my mother's dog a few years ago and we were going for the final walk of the night, she'd regularly get surprised by people passing us from the opposite direction. She'd notice them 1-2 meters away and would jump back and bark, while I was easily able to see them 5-10m away. I've had similar experiences with another dog. Would they notice them better if they were moving side to side instead of slowly becoming bigger while walking towards us?

deleted 6y ago
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archi42 6y ago
Difficult to judge: Better sight doesn't mean "better human-like sight". Maybe dogs are better at seeing fast moving gradients (e.g. when racing prey), but have difficulties with slow changes (e.g. predator slowly closing in). Also, maybe the dogs just assumed that /you/ would be looking out for any "enemies", and were then just surprised because you didn't warn them about the impeding "attack" while they had other things in mind ;-)
technothrasher 6y ago
I notice when I take my pup out to pee in the early morning that I'm much better at spotting wildlife than she is. We live in a pretty wooded area, so there are plenty of animals about. A deer staring at us, an owl looking down, a stray coyote heading home after a night's prowl, a fisher slinking back to the swamp... she won't notice any of them unless they're either very close, make a lot of noise, or if she can smell their trail. When she does notice them she gets very interested, so I don't think it's her not caring. It may well just be my higher line of sight.
fingerlocks 6y ago
Did your mother's dog have reflective eyeballs? If so, that's called a Tapetum Lucidum[0], and most dogs breeds have it. It's what make animals' eyes appear to glow in the dark. Light reflects off the back of the eye so the retina can absorb more of it, allowing for improved vision at night. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapetum_lucidum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapetum_lucidum

deleted 6y ago

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archi42 6y ago

Difficult to judge: Better sight doesn't mean "better human-like sight". Maybe dogs are better at seeing fast moving gradients (e.g. when racing prey), but have difficulties with slow changes (e.g. predator slowly closing in). Also, maybe the dogs just assumed that /you/ would be looking out for any "enemies", and were then just surprised because you didn't warn them about the impeding "attack" while they had other things in mind ;-)

technothrasher 6y ago

I notice when I take my pup out to pee in the early morning that I'm much better at spotting wildlife than she is. We live in a pretty wooded area, so there are plenty of animals about. A deer staring at us, an owl looking down, a stray coyote heading home after a night's prowl, a fisher slinking back to the swamp... she won't notice any of them unless they're either very close, make a lot of noise, or if she can smell their trail. When she does notice them she gets very interested, so I don't think it's her not caring. It may well just be my higher line of sight.

fingerlocks 6y ago

Did your mother's dog have reflective eyeballs? If so, that's called a Tapetum Lucidum[0], and most dogs breeds have it. It's what make animals' eyes appear to glow in the dark. Light reflects off the back of the eye so the retina can absorb more of it, allowing for improved vision at night. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapetum_lucidum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapetum_lucidum