Training your pup to retrieve? Don’t be a dummy…

Look great to us, but practically invisible to your pup.
Looks great to us, but practically invisible to your pup.

Everyone knows that dogs have incredible noses. But how much do you know about their eyes?

As it turns out, a dog’s sight is no where near as good. Instead of seeing things as we do or in black and white, dogs are “color blind”. They do see some colors, but not the same ones we do, or in the same way. This video and article from ShootingUK.co.uk explain a little but about what’s going on.

Check both out for some interesting insights into what your dog really sees. You’ll learn some interesting stuff, including why purple training dummies may be the right choice for teaching your pup to fetch.

How your dog’s vision affects , by Nick Ridley, ShootingUK.co.uk.

“Now here’s an interesting question — when you are starting your puppy’s training, which colour of dummy is it best to use? To answer we need to go back to basics: most professional trainers will tell you to make these early retrieving lessons fun and easy. The aim is to get the puppy used to fetching an object and bringing it back to you. To help achieve this you wouldn’t hide dummies in long grass or rough cover.

So to come back to my original question — which colour dummy is best? Believe it or not, blue or purple seems to be best. If we examine how and what a dog can see this may make more sense.”

Read all of How your dog’s vision affects its training now to learn more about the three aspects of a gundog’s sight, the evolution of sight, a dog’s natural instincts, dummy colors, and the why blue — yes blue — tennis balls.

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