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",
Dog watch there are only two, to eat an evening meal at about the traditional time. The "Oxford English Dictionary" states that the word 'dogwatch' is a direct translation from either German or Dutch of a similar term. It originally referred to the night-watch on ships — that is, the time when (on land) all but the dog were asleep. The name is also said to be derived from Sirius, the "Dog Star", on the claim that Sirius was the first star that can be seen at night. An alternative folk etymology is that the name arose because someone tasked with one