If you’ve ever seen a husky, you know that they are absolutely gorgeous eyes. A lot of people agree that these eyes make the breed even more beautiful than it is.
But there are some notions out there that these dogs can’t see as well as some other breeds. While this is absolutely not true, facts are that huskies are more prone to have eye problems later in life.
How Good Is a Husky’s Vision?
But if that is not the case, here’s what you should know about how well huskies can see in the dark or even in general.
Huskies actually have very good vision. In fact, contrary to what some people believe, these dogs have a lot of abilities that many other breeds don’t have.
And push comes to shove, they may outdo their humans too in certain aspects. So, if you want to make that comparison, huskies are superior to us and other breeds in terms of:
- Vision while moving
- Peripheral vision
- Night vision
So, that should answer your original question. But there’s so much more to huskies and their ability to see at night.
How Good Is It at Night?
Huskies that are not pets are a popular choice to pull sleds in dark and cold conditions. So, this often makes people wonder if this breed of dog has night vision.
Sorry to disappoint you, but even in those Alaskan winters, these dogs are just better at seeing what’s in front of them than humans. That’s what makes them effective sled dogs.
They don’t have a special vision, but they can see five times better than us in low light conditions compared to human beings.
Also Read: Why Is My Husky So Fat?
About Blue-Eyed Huskies and the Night
Now, some people also think that huskies that have blue eyes or eyes with two different colors can see at night. The condition that leads them to have bi-colored eyes is called heterochromia.
It’s the scientific term even for humans, cats and horses. This is the result of the absence of a pigment called melanin.
It can be missing in part of completely for a dog to have eyes with two different colors. It just makes their eyes blue or blue-white, nothing more than that.
But this condition is hereditary in dogs since it is a part of their genetic makeup. However, there are cases where this can happen later on, too, if there is a health condition that causes it or there is an injury.
When it is hereditary, there isn’t much for you to worry about. But if you see the color of your dog’s eye changing, later on, you definitely should take them to your vet.
They will conduct eye tests to find out what is going on and if there is a medical condition that is developing in real-time.
Now, most dogs don’t have this condition which is why it is not considered unique. But it also does not give dogs, even huskies, any special powers in terms of improving their vision or making it worse unless, of course, it is the result of a health problem.
They can see just as well as their regular colored counterparts in terms of night vision, in low-lighting conditions or in terms of color blindness. Basically, the short answer is that it changes nothing.
But the good news is that they are also not likely to end up with any eye problems more than regular huskies just because they have different colored eyes.
Also Read: Can Huskies Have Brown Eyes?
What about Low-Lighting Conditions?
Another good news for humans with a husky is that these dogs can also see really well in low lighting conditions. Although, at this point, that shouldn’t be surprising considering you know they see well in the dark.
They are able to do this because they have more light-sensitive rods inside their retina than humans. We are able to see in the dark because light bounces off the retina in the eye.
So simply put, since the husky has a stronger retina, it can see better than humans when there is little light.
The pupil of a husky is also bigger compared to the human pupil. That also helps it quite a bit because it means the eye can take more light that bounces off the rods.
Of course, if the place is very dark and has absolutely no source of light, their vision might be just as good as ours.
Now, what might be different between humans and huskies is that their eyes tend to glow in the dark. That makes them cool, but it doesn’t give them night vision.
And that’s the next point.
Are These Dogs Color Blind?
Blindness is relative and a lot of the time, people wonder if dogs, and huskies, in particular, are color blind. If you’ve had the same question on your mind, well then, you’ve certainly been reading the right piece.
The answer with respect to huskies (Siberian or otherwise) is the same. But before that, it is important to know that color blindness occurs in degrees.
Some people tend to think that color blindness means the person or dog will see things completely in black and white. That is not true at all.
Color blindness, especially in this context, means that the dog does not have the ability to see some colors in the visible spectrum as defined by humans.
These dogs, luckily, are not color blind. But they do not see as many colors as humans do. Like most other dogs, huskies can also see different shades of gray, violet, blue and yellow.
But they are not able to see greens and reds in the visible spectrum of light. So, if your husky has a toy with these two colors, you can be confident that the little canine is looking at shades of yellow.
In fact, when you take them out to the park, be sure that all that lovely green grass is looking yellow to your little furry friend.
Obviously, that has no impact on their perception. But if you were going for some kind of shock and awe with red and green toys, we’d say skip that part, for it will make no difference.
So, these dogs are not blind to the entire spectrum of colors, meaning they don’t see the world in black and white. But they really have no clue what red or green look like.
It’s also fascinating to think that if you’re holding one red ball and one green ball, they will both look the same to your husky. It might help to know that devising games that depend on your dog being able to tell red balls from green balls won’t work.
And you will end up confusing them.
Also Read: Are Huskies Good Apartment Dogs?
Parting Thoughts
Huskies do not have a supernatural vision. But they certainly can see better than humans.
In fact, their ability to see things is five times better than ours in both low lighting conditions and in the dark. But, of course, like us, they need a source of light that will bounce off their retina.
They are able to see better because they have bigger pupils than humans and also have more light-sensitive rods in their retinas.
