Why Are Dogs Eyes Reflective?
Dogs’ eyes glow in the dark for the same reason cats’ eyes glow too – it’s because of their night vision. Simply put, nocturnal and cathemeral (active both during the night and day) animals have reflective eyes to help them see better under reduced visibility.
The way that works is that these animals’ eyes have a reflective surface at the back of the eye. This surface is called a tapetum lucidum and it’s located between the optic nerve and the retina. The purpose of the tapetum is precisely to reflect all incoming light back through the eye. This helps the dog see better because the light has to go through the eye’s visual cells (eye cones and rods) a second time.
Essentially, the tapetum lucidum gives the dog’s eyes a second chance to detect any information in the light they’ve seen, no matter how dim it is. The fact that the light is then reflected out of the eye, while spooky, is just a side-effect.
The reason the tapetum lucidum is reflective is due to the presence of zinc and/or riboflavin in the pigment of its cells. As Dr. Cynthia Powell of the Colorado State University explains it “Zinc is a metal, and riboflavin is an amino acid and both act as reflective agents. Depending on how densely packed these cells are with zinc or riboflavin, the glow color can vary from animal to animal and breed to breed.”
In the dark, your dog’s eyes react differently to light exposure because their eyes have what is called a tapetum lucidum, essentially, a light reflective surface. It is located between the optic nerve and the retina and works as a mirror. This allows for the rods and cones in a dog’s eye to pick up the limited amount of light available. It basically is there to help your dog see better at night!
While all dog’s eyes glow, they don’t all glow the same color. Every dog has a varying amount of pigment in his or her retina that can affect the color. The color can also be affected by age and other factors. You may have two dogs of the same breed, but they will have different color glowing eyes – even if their normal eye color is the same.
Have you ever noticed that your dog’s eyes start glowing as soon as the sun goes down? Or perhaps you’ve snapped a photo of your dog, and their eyes are little light orbs? Well, we have the answer as to why dogs’ eyes glow at night.
Dog Eye Reflection Color Chart
First and foremost, keep in mind that there are no guarantees when it comes to the eye reflection color – or eyeshine – of your dog’s eyes. These eyeshines can vary anywhere between light yellow and light green through bright blue, turquoise, and purplish, all the way to orange and red.
Generally, the color of the eyeshine will depend on the dog’s eye color as well as on its breed and even its coat color. We’ll explain below exactly what makes dogs’ eyes glow too.
But, to give you a general idea of the eyeshine you can expect from some popular breeds, here’s a quick dog eye reflection color chart:
| Dog eye color, coat color, or breed | Usual dog eye reflection color |
| Siberian Husky | Red reflection |
| Blue eye color | Red reflection |
| Schnauzer | Blue or turquoise reflection |
| Yellow Labrador | Light yellow reflection |
| Black Labrador | Deeper yellow or green reflection |
| White coat | Red reflection |
| English Springer Spaniel | Orange reflection |
Dog Eye Reflection Color Chart And Why Dogs’ Eyes Glow In Different Colors
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