Anyone flown with a dog before?

[still_dreaming1]

Hi,
I’m considering driving coast to coast for the sake of the dog. I was wondering if anyone has had experience taking a dog on a plane. Size wise, the dog is eligible to travel in the cabin. I think my greatest reservation is not knowing how he will act during the flight, and so not wanting to cause inconvenience or discomfort to other passengers.
Would you think that car behavior a good indicator of plane behavior?
Would it be better to try for a few connections to break up the time?
Is this a situation to discuss sedatives w a vet?
What haven’t i thought of yet?

Any advice, thoughts are appreciated.

[Calamber]

I have flown with two young adult Jack Russell’s and then two 9 week old rescue puppies. I unzipped the top of the bag to pet them when they needed comforting and I had to take the little puppy out of the carrier and to the back so that it could relieve itself onto napkins. You are not supposed to remove them but they were understanding given that we were on a cross country flight and the smell would have been worse, obviously. Anyway, no sedatives were used, we had direct flight both times from Virginia to Washington State, and no, I would not break up the flight, more hassle to unload and reload. They were all fine.

[threedogpack]

I flew last summer with 2 Papillons. A 2.5 year old and a 12 week old puppy. We had one layover.

the dogs never made a peep, even tho the older dog was really frightened.

I did not use any sedatives either, but like Clamber, I could/did unzip the top a bit to be able to stick my hand in for comfort.

[Laurierace]

My Pom flew three times over Christmas and did great. As long as you get them used to being in the carrier by taking them places on the car it is no big deal.

[SquishTheBunny]

Yep, miniature poodle flew with me, it was an 11 hour trip. (Two flights total with a 2 hour layover). Most airports don’t have suitable areas for walking dogs, and you have to go through security again so breaking up the flights is just going to extend the trip.

She was used to a carrier, and she is not yappy. She didn’t make a sound at all.

You can as your vet for some atravet (ace) and you can give it if you feel the dog may be stressed. Its not a tranquilizer, but a mild to moderate sedative so they would snooze away for the majority of the ride.

[DoubleClick]

I’ve flown with dogs, a cat, and a parrot with me in cabin. I think the vibrations from the plane have a lulling effect on them because all have just zoned out and didn’t make a peep from take-off to landing. As others have mentioned, it’s important to make sure they’re used to the carrier. But, I’ve picked pups up from the breeder, and I don’t think they were introduced to the Sherpa ahead of time, and they were fine.

I don’t think you have too much to worry about! I know a lot of people who travel with dogs, and most seem to handle it just fine.

[handydandyjake]

I fly with my dog in-cabin cross-country about twice a year and she’s always been a great flyer - I do give her Benadryl (1mg/lb) p.o. about 15-20 min before boarding to promote snoozing.

She remains in her carrier in-flight, though I will open the top so she can stick her head out. In the airport, I take every opportunity to keep her out of her crate - I’ll find a quiet area without people around, take her out on a short leash, and we’ll hang out there together, her with something to chew on, until we need to head to the gate. Dogs are supposed to remain in-carrier in airports, but as long as you don’t flaunt that you have your dog out and stay out of everyone’s way, no one should bother you.

dogjaunt.com is a great resource for flying with small dogs, and lots of great suggestions on carrier choices as well. I have a large small dog - we toe the line for in-cabin size, she’s 15" at the shoulders and 18lbs but she’s black and very streamlined, so I haven’t had any issues. That being said, she’s heavy enough that I use a rolling bag that allows her to sit up when it’s being rolled, but when I lay it flat put under the seat, she has lots of lying-down room. I was also meticulous about training her to go willingly into her bag - the dog will need to be taken out of the bag through security and the last thing I wanted was to call attention to my large-ish dog trying to shove her back in the carrier after security.

My dog is also a high-energy nervous sort that loves to bark, and I’ve never had a problem with her at all flying - she sleeps the whole flight and doesn’t make a peep. I do exercise the hell out of her pre-flight though

You’ll be fine! Save lots of time over driving!

[MunchingonHay]

I flew from JFK to Amsterdam with a Jack Russel. No drugs. He was in his carry bag under the horses heads (under the hay nets) for take off and landing, but once I was able to get up the pilots let him run around up in the cabin with me. I gave him limited water and he relieved himself in the horse boxes down stairs in cargo.

I did have treats with me to help him ‘pop’ his ears, as well as juicy carrots and apples for the horses for their ears.