[oelgin]

Hi All,
I will buy my GSD pretty soon and my question is;
I work as an IT and spend most of my time inside the datacenters. A lot of noise and humming from servers and AC units. I am thinking to keep the dog with me while I work inside his crate. I use ear plugs all the time and was wondering if it is a good idea for the dog being that kind of environment. If that is not a good idea he will be by himself until I come back from work. Please advice and/or add your experiments if you have any similar ones.
Regards, Elgin

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

I'm thinking that if it's loud enough that YOU need ear protection, he would too. I've never been in a datacenter though, so I have no idea what noise level we're talking about here. Other than that, I don't see why it would be a problem.

 

[littledmc17]

agreed if you have to wear then GSD hearing much more sensitive
he would need them too

 

[SunCzarina]

You're making me think of that Blade commercial where the servers attack.

I've been in IT for 17 years and never worn earplugs in a server room - but I'm a programmer and don't spend my whole day in there.

Is it really necessary for you or do you wear them because the noise is annoying? Chances are if you find it annoying a dog would too.

 

[oelgin]

I spend about ~5 hours everyday in the datacenter and the noise level is not very bad but it is NOT quite at all. I started to use the plugs after I've read some articles (It was about long term hearing loss) and of course dogs hear 100 times better and it will disturb him for sure. I guess I have to find another solution or change my job

Elgin

 

[AbbyK9]

I would be worried about exposing a dog to those kinds of noises everyday for 5 hours (more or less) in the long term, especially if this is something you're worried about with your own ears.

Of course, there's always Mutt Muffs.
http://www.safeandsoundpets.com/

 

[RubySlippers]

Those mutt- muffs are pretty awesome!

And perhaps the plugs are just to cut down on irritation of the humming for so long (not everyone considers server rooms "white noise" )? Maybe you could do something in the middle and bring the puppy with you to work for 2 hours and run him home (if you like close by) then he'll be home only 3 hours alone?

 

[AbbyK9]

I just noticed that RubySlippers mentioned "puppy". If you're getting a puppy, Oelgin, and are considering the MuttMuffs for ear protection, you should know that they are not suitable for use on young dogs whose ear cartilage is still hardening, as the ears have to be folded down / back to fit the muffs. They're only designed for use on adult dogs and/or breeds with floppy ears.

 

[Sukkoi19]

I use mutt muffs when I take mine flying with me. They do not like wearing them, but they are very uncomfortable without them as the Arrow is a loud airplane.

 

[oelgin]

I will try to change my schedule to spend more time in my cube and leave him in his crate like an hour or 2 if I need to go to the datacenters.
Thanks for all the input guys/gals.