Dividends - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
Aug. 26, 2014	May 30, 2014	Feb. 24, 2014	Aug. 26, 2014	May 30, 2014	Feb. 24, 2014
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividend payable per share				$ 0.08us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare	$ 0.08us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare	$ 0.08us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare
Dividend paid date	Aug. 26, 2014	May 30, 2014	Feb. 24, 2014
Dividend record date	Aug. 15, 2014	May 16, 2014	Feb. 14, 2014
Dividend declared date			Feb. 03, 2014
Quarterly dividend paid amount	$ 645,000dwsn_QuarterlyDividendCash	$ 645,000dwsn_QuarterlyDividendCash	$ 645,000dwsn_QuarterlyDividendCash
Dividend paid amount on annualized basis	$ 1,935,000us-gaap_DividendsCash	$ 1,935,000us-gaap_DividendsCash	$ 1,935,000us-gaap_DividendsCash

Quarterly dividend cash.

No definition available.

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Date the declared dividend will be paid, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 230

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 3

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367179&loc=d3e4304-108586

+ Details

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Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of paid and unpaid cash dividends declared for classes of stock, for example, but not limited to, common and preferred.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 04

-Article 3

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 505

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27012166&loc=d3e187085-122770

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 942

-SubTopic 405

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957935&loc=d3e64057-112817

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The per share amount of a dividend declared, but not paid, as of the financial reporting date.

+ References

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Date the dividend to be paid was declared, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

+ References

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
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Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Date the holder must own the stock to be entitled to the dividend, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Details

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