Shop Dog Thoughts

[Curt Harms]

Dad had some Coon Hounds. One Red Bone named Eno was a great shop dog. He would lay near the wood stove and howl in his sleep when someone ran a router.

A Duet!

[Rod Sheridan]

My shop dog, Skipper, was always with me, so when I was in the shop, so was he. He had a bed in the shop and slept there while I worked. I lost Skipper to old age this past December. I really miss him.

Mike

Unfortunately Mike, you will always miss Skipper.

Of course that's also the fortunate part as it shows how much he meant to you............Regards, Rod.

[Steve Demuth]

My shop dog, Skipper, was always with me, so when I was in the shop, so was he. He had a bed in the shop and slept there while I worked. I lost Skipper to old age this past December. I really miss him.

Mike

It's always a blow when a great companion shuffles of this mortal coil. Dog's lives are too short. The man from whom we've bought all our animal feed for the last 40 years lost a Golden Retriever, Elsie, that lived in their office at the grain elevator every hour they were open, for her entire life. She was a tiny little thing, for a Golden, three legged from birth and so frail a strong wind might have blown her away. But I dare say most of the people who did business at the elevator knew her by name, and choked up a bit when she passed. She greeted every one of them when they came in. When Elsie died, Ed declared with absolute finality that he could have no more dogs. "I can't go through this again."

So his son, who also works at the elevator, ups and buys a Golden Doodle, who now occupies Elsie's old spot. We'll all choke up when Millie goes, too. Even Ed has fallen to her charms.

[Jacob Mac]

I adopted a German shepherd when she was about 18 months. If I'm home, we are most likely together. But if it is loud or dusty in the shop, I put her inside. I don't want to damage her lungs or her hearing. But hand tools, sanding, designing whatever else, she's in the shop with me.

We just worked into it. She's a smart girl and didn't take much direct training. We started small and just gradually built up trust and a routine by ensuring small successful runs that built on each other.

She's five now, and she's a great dog. No way will I ever have a better dog, even if I love another fifty years

[Ed Aumiller]

Be aware that dogs have a different hearing spectrum than we do... Anything extremely high
pitched will often bother them more.. and make them uneasy and possibly damage there hearing...

You can buy hearing muffs for dogs that may help... they were developed for use in planes and helicopters...

[Scott T Smith]

Mutt Muff's and Doggle's are your friend when it comes to shop dogs.

Here is Ricochet, my now deceased Belgian Malinois, modeling a set of Mutt Muff's in my shop.

Shea muffs.jpg


As I type this, Maya, a recently rescued Belgian Malinois / German Shepherd mix, is by my feet in the shop. She's still learning the ropes of staying out of the path of the forklift though.

Maya at animal shelter.jpg

[Steve Demuth]

Thanks for the reference. I had no idea such things even existed.

I can see how they work on your German Shepherd. I'm a bit mystified though, as to how to fit them on the floppy, long ears of my mostly poodle Atticus.

My one person shop is not generally an overly loud place, except when I'm milling lumber for a project. I have figured those will be days Atticus will simply not be with me in the shop.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I was working my day job yesterday, the homeowners were at work, I was making progress befriending their timid American Bully. We were friends by 3 PM. Then I got out the Shop Vac and started cleaning up. I lost a friend immediately.

[Alex Zeller]

I have a lab mix rescue dog that for most of her life was content to go for walks whenever possible and if I was working outside she would watch from the front porch. Since I work 12 hour shifts I taught Shelby to go into the basement if she needed to go before I got home. I plumbed up a hose so I can wash the cement when needed. In the last few years I moved my shop into the basement so now it's dual purpose. Now that her time is close she follows me down stairs which I don't like. She often finds a spot on the cool floor to lay down and just when I think she's happy she moves. There's no way I will work with a tool that can cause serious harm if I can focus 100% on what I'm doing. If you trust your dog to sit in the corner and the noises don't bother the dog then try it. I know that it's not for me. Also dogs seem to attract sawdust. Even when we walk out the basement door and she rolls around on the ground she still has it all over her that finds it's way upstairs.