According to Dr Jagadeesh, the real key to managing street dogs lies not in myths, but in managing the environment around you.
Published Sep 23, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 23, 2025 | 7:00 AM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: Hanging colorful water bottles outside homes to repel stray dogs lacks scientific backing, veterinarians say. Dogs, with dichromatic vision, don’t perceive colors like humans and quickly adapt to such objects. Effective solutions include proper garbage disposal, securing properties, and community-led Animal Birth Control programs. Experts urge evidence-based measures over myths for humane and sustainable coexistence with street dogs.
Colorful water bottles hanging on gates or placed outside homes have become a curious sight, believed by some to be a way to keep street dogs away. The practice involves filling bottles with colored water and leaving them outside, in the hope that dogs will be scared off.
While it has caught on in some neighborhoods, veterinarians say it has no scientific backing. Dogs perceive colors differently than humans, and experts stress that the method is more myth than solution.
“There is no scientific evidence that placing blue or green water bottles outside homes repels dogs,” said Dr Vaishnavi Jagadeesh, a veterinary consultant. “Dogs’ avoidance is usually coincidental or due to other environmental factors, not the bottles themselves.”
In other words, the behaviour people observe often has less to do with the bottles and more to do with chance. A dog may already be disinterested in a certain spot, or may simply walk past, reinforcing the household’s belief that the bottles worked.
Such myths, Dr Jagadeesh explained, often gain traction because they offer simple explanations and quick fixes.
“It’s easy for communities to believe in something visible, like a water bottle, instead of addressing the real reasons why dogs come near homes,” she added.
Dogs are not blind to color, but their vision is very different from that of humans. “Dogs are dichromatic, meaning they have only two types of cone cells in their eyes, while humans have three,” said Dr Jagadeesh.
“They mainly perceive the world in blue and yellow hues. Red and green shades appear as brown, grey, or dull tones to them,” she added.
In practice, this means a green or red water bottle on a gate may not look green or red at all to a dog, just another dull object in the environment. Their sharper skill lies elsewhere. “Dogs are excellent at spotting moving objects, even at a distance,” she noted.
Some people assume that the way sunlight glints off water might scare dogs away. The doctor acknowledged that light reflections can sometimes catch an animal’s attention, just as with any shiny object.
But this effect, she stressed, is temporary: “Dogs adapt quickly, so the initial distraction fades once they learn the object poses no threat.”
There’s also a behavioural angle. Dogs often hesitate around strange objects, a phenomenon called neophobia, or fear of new things.
“They may avoid unfamiliar bottles at first,” she said, “but once they become familiar and realise these objects are harmless, avoidance usually stops.”
According to Dr Jagadeesh, the real key to managing street dogs lies not in myths, but in managing the environment.
“Stray dogs gather where food is easily available,” she said. “Properly dispose of garbage, use closed bins, and avoid leaving food scraps in open areas.”
Simple measures like these reduce the attraction in the first place. In addition, securing private spaces makes a difference. “Fencing compounds, securing gates, covering gaps in walls, these are direct and effective in keeping dogs out,” she explained.
Long-term solutions require community-level action. Dr Jagadeesh pointed to Animal Birth Control (ABC) programs, which involve sterilisation and vaccination, as the humane and sustainable way forward.
“Such programs reduce stray dog numbers over time and also control the risk of rabies,” she said.
While myths like hanging colored water bottles continue to spread, even catching some experts by surprise, the focus must remain on practical, evidence-based measures that ensure safe and responsible coexistence with street dogs.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
