German Shepherds, and most other dogs, can see well at night and in low light. Their ability to see in the dark is mostly due to reflective tissue behind the retina called tapetum.
3 reasons your dog sees better than you in the dark:
When the sun goes down and the moon comes up, humans can generally see the outlines of structures (unless the moon is very bright or we have the lights on). There are indeed at least a few reasons that German Shepherds and other dogs see better than us:
- Tapetum. Animals which have adapted to having a tapetum lucidum can see in dim light as this layer of the eye reflects light back into the retina.
- Pupils. Canines have much larger pupils than humans do which allows more light into their eye.
- Rod cells. German Shepherd Dogs have a high number of rod cells in their eyes. These photoreceptor cells function in less intense light than cone cells.
My experience with German Shepherds in the dark.
I have chickens, and I go out to lock them up at night. I often take my German Shepherd with me, and she walks all around with no problem at all even though I need a flashlight to see where I’m going.
For reference:
For further reading please see these great resources:
- Wikipedia’s page on Tapetum lucidum.
- South Texas Veterinary Ophthalmology page on eye glow.
