Dog watch Dog watch Dog watch, in marine or naval terminology, is a watch, a period of work duty or a work shift, between 16:00 and 20:00 (4 pm and 8 pm). This period is split into two, with the 'first' dog watch from 16:00 to 18:00 (4 pm to 6 pm) and the 'last' dog watch from 18:00 to 20:00 (6 pm to 8 pm). Each of these watches is half the length of a standard watch. The last dog watch is also referred to as the second dog watch in some sources. For instance Jack London in "The Sea Wolf",
Watch system Watch system A watch system, watch schedule, or watch bill is a method of assigning regular periods of work duty aboard ships and some other areas of employment. A watch system allows the ship's crew to operate the ship 24 hours a day for the duration of long voyages or operations. Many watch systems incorporate the concept of dogging, whereby one watch is split into two shorter watches so that there is an odd number each day. Doing so allows crew members to have a different watch schedule each day. Often, the dog watches are set at dinner time to