THE dog they do not see the colorsor rather, they see them differently from usand more limited: they have only two types of photo photoreceptors (we have three), and therefore perceive some colors, for example red and green, like simple shades of gray.
It seems only a curiosity, but this feature has pushed a group of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research to ask a question: Do dogs have color preferences? According to the study they published on Animal Cognitionthe answer is yes: Indian stray dogs prefer yellow.
Which bowl do you want? “Randagi” is a slightly inaccurate translation of “free-racing”: they are all Those dogs that live in freedomwithout binding to a specific “master”, but which still have a close relationship with human beings, who nourish them and take care of them. This led them to get used to getting fed through bowls: when they see one, they expect it to be full of food.
The team that conducted the study therefore involved 458 free specimens In the experiment, which provided to find out if the dogs preferred the bowls of a certain color: the choice was between a yellow bowl, a blue and a gray.
Why really yellow? The experiment took place in several phases. In the first, three bowls were offered to the dogs equally full of food: the animals have shown a strong preference for the yellow ones. In the second phase, the bowls were empty: also in this case, the dogs went without doubt towards the yellow ones. In the third phase, however, the choice was between a yellow and empty bowl and a gray and full of food: curiously (or maybe not), The dogs immediately focused on the yellow one, despite the absence of food.
Finally, the team masked the color of the bowls, discovering that In this case the dogs chose randomlydemonstrating that their choice is dictated precisely by the color of the container.
What does this mean? According to the authors of the study, there are different possible interpretations, but none has yet been demonstrated: What we can say is that the color of the bowl has some meaningbut further studies will be needed to understand which one.
