Flying

One of my most frequent requests is help with flying with a dog. Any dog, given the proper education and time, can be a happy flyer. An unhappy flyer can be remedied, with the proper time and effort.

Whether you are flying your dog in cabin with you or down below, your dog will need to be contained in an approved carrier or crate. There are exceptions to this, but I won’t go into those here. For the majority of you, your dog will need to be trained to a crate and it starts with having a carrier that is appropriate for your travel.

For flying cargo, the airlines have very specific sizes and rules. They are fairly, but not completely, uniform across airlines. Fully do your research before you buy anything or start training. Also make sure you understand how your chosen airline transports dogs – not all airlines are equal. Some simply put the dogs in cargo where there is minimal temperature control and pressurization. If your dog has any health concerns, I would recommend against transporting them this way. Even perfectly healthy dogs sometimes die in transport under these conditions. At 35,000 feet, the temps get cold and the air thin. There are a number of airlines that transport the dogs in an extension of the passenger compartment. This space is pressurized the same as the passenger cabin and kept at a comfortable temperature.

Flying in cabin with your dog requires you have a dog small enough to meet the airline requirements and that will fit comfortably in the space provided. There are a few folks on the internet that maintain under seat information about planes by airline and plane model. Many will also let you know which seat and which class are best for taking a dog on a flight. The carrier you choose will also be driven by the airline and the size of your dog. For the smallest dogs, you can get a hard sided carrier that will fit cleanly under the seat in front of you, but for the majority of small dogs, you’ll want a flexible or soft sided carrier. Make sure the dimensions meet the requirements of the airline you are choosing to fly on.

For both cargo and in cabin carriers, ventilation is very important. The dog is going to spend a good amount of time in the carrier in a variety of conditions. Dogs are pretty good at managing their body temperatures when it is a touch cool or even cold, but struggle when it gets warm or hot. The excitement and any anxiety is going to up your dog’s temperature, so the more and better the ventilation, the better your dog will do. Hard sided crates generally have good ventilation, but not all soft sided carry on carriers do. You want a lot of mesh panels, made of tough material if you have an escape artist. I even carry a small electric fan to provide additional airflow. If you are warm, there’s a good chance your dog is hot.

The crate will be at the heart of everything else you do, so do your research to make sure it fulfills all requirements. Even then, be prepared to be turned away at the gate. At the end of the day, the airline does not have to fly your dog and any number of things can happen to prevent your trip. Always have a backup plan and be flexible. An argument and fight aren’t going to get you on that plane, but calm negotiation may just get you on the next flight. I fly several times a year with two dogs, in cabin. I have never had a problem. I am always prepared to deal with a problem.

• Start early
• Get yourself in order
• Keep the carrier special
• Make it fun
• Make it rewarding
• Make the journey no big deal
• Give them something to chew or teach them to sympathetic yawn

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU NEED TO FLY TO DO THIS WORK!

I don’t love getting a message from a panicked dog owner one week before they are leaving on their big trip, begging me to teach their dog to travel happily on an airplane. Depending on the dog, I can usually help them at least be partially successful, but generally it’s even more dependent on the human I am dealing with. If their emotional state is panic, usually the dog struggles to be successful. I would argue that you should teach these skills by default – even if you never intend to fly with your dog. Waiting until you need the skills adds a layer of pressure on the endeavor that for some are impossible to cope with in the moment.

Getting your own traveling “house” in order is one of the biggest steps missed in this process. If you are a happy and organized traveler, you really have nothing to work on here. But if you are an anxious traveler, disorganized or just inexperienced – all of this will bleed over onto the dog and complicate their success. The biggest of all of these is your emotions about traveling. If you are overly excited to travel or you get anxious about flying, your dog is going to be equally over excited and/or anxious. You have to get control of your own emotions to help set your dog up for success.

If you are a person who doesn’t fly well, I recommend against doing it unless you absolutely have to. If your circumstances demand that you fly and you must take your dog with you, either fly your dog cargo or better yet, hire a transport service to relocate your dog. The professionals who do this service know how to keep a dog calm and help keep the process as pleasant as possible for your dog. I would also recommend finding a service that will take your dog for a period of time to teach them the necessary coping and crate skills to keep them safe and happy, if you aren’t capable of doing this work with your dog. Flying the dog in cargo is also best if the flight or travel is an “emergency” and no preparation time is available. Being removed from you will limit and isolate the trauma of the event and you can take corrective action after the trip is over.

Once your travel house is in order and you have the perfect crate, the next step is to make that crate special. That crate should be the most fantastic thing in the world to your dog. How do you do this?

• Limit access to the crate
• When the crate comes out, the highest value treats/rewards also come out
• Limit the amount of training time – ALWAYS LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE
• You know you’re successful when the dog loses it’s mind when the crate comes out.

Whether you have a large hard crate for cargo or a small carry on soft crate, the steps are the same. Keep the crate put up and away except when you are building value. In the beginning, depending on your dog, you may be rewarding the dog for just looking at, sniffing or touching the crate. In short 2-5 minute sessions, you slowly build your criteria for getting rewarded to the dog entering and lying down in the crate. Depending on your skills and the dog’s drive, this process takes anywhere from 5 minutes to several weeks or months. You are the uncontrolled variable. At the end of every session, the crate gets put away, as does the special treat/reward. When your dog tries to jump into the crate when you are carrying it, you know you’ve successfully built the needed value for the trip.

Once they exuberantly enter the crate, our next step is to build duration. The needed duration depends on the length of your flights. As a point of reference, my dogs have traveled for 14 hours in their crates. That is 14 hours without getting out. While they were very happy to get out when our flight was over, they were equally happy to get back into the crates for the return home a week later.

Just like everything, you have to build to that duration. It starts with a few seconds or at most minutes. Eventually they may stay in the crate while you watch a favorite tv show. Start using the crate for car rides of varying duration. The key is to build the duration up and never abuse it. If the dog whines or cries, the duration is too long or you didn’t properly prepare for the training session. If your dog’s limit is only a few seconds, then that is all they can tolerate and you have to figure out how to make that duration longer. Just locking them in and hoping they’ll “get over it” is not a great strategy for most dogs.

Some other basic skills I like to see traveling dogs taught.

• Potty on command
• Drink on command
• Sympathetic yawning
• Relax

These simple things will make your life easier when you travel.

At the time you book your flight, make sure you call the airline and confirm your dog’s spot on the flight. Airlines limit the number of dogs per flight and will require you pay for the dog’s flight (unless they are a service animal or an on mission working dog). If you don’t do this step, you may be turned away at boarding for your flight. Give a lot of thought about when you fly. If you pick a flight that is at a time that is hard for you, it will be even harder for your dog. Money is always a consideration, but don’t set you and your dog up for failure to save a few dollars. Make sure you are on a flight that gives you the ability to comfortably do your pre-flight routine for yourself and your dog.

When your day of travel arrives, make sure you have yourself in order. If you are anxious or stressed, this goes straight to the dog. If the dog is struggling, check yourself. Take a deep breath, smile – you’ll be surprised how this changes your dog. Don’t overreact to every noise or movement your dog makes. This is all new to them. They won’t be perfect. How you react to them will affect all future trips. Keep calm and carry on. Have everything in order – paperwork, dog’s tags, leashes and collars, chews, treats, poop bags, collapsible bowl. In your personal carryon, have at least one day’s food, medication and a change of clothes for yourself. Then if your luggage is lost, you and your dog can be comfortable until you either get your bag or can buy replacements.

Routine and fixed patterns are important for our dogs and really for us humans too. I make sure I’ve given my dogs access water while we finish departure preparations. I feed on my normal schedule. I also make sure they go for a walk (minimum of 30 minutes) and get the expected pees and poops out. We load the car first, then get the dogs into their carriers and load them into the car. My dogs will remain in their carriers until we have exited the destination airport. The only exception is if I haven’t gotten the expected pees and poops and the dogs are fussy – then I may give them one more opportunity to use a pet station at the airport before we board. This is the exception and not the rule. My goal is to only remove them from their carriers to go through airport security.

I carry the dogs into the airport in their carriers. I shield and protect them from children and loose dogs in the airport – yes a dog on a leash is a loose dog. Only service dogs and working dogs are allowed to be on leash in the airport. Emotional support dogs are not working or service dogs.

Your dog may bark or get excited about small children and/or dogs on leash – or even other dogs in carriers. DO NOT OVERREACT TO YOUR DOGS REACTION. Physically block their view of the offender. I’ve asked people with small children or dogs to give me space or I take space by moving away, even if it means losing my spot in line. My dog comes first when I’m traveling. They didn’t get a choice in the matter. If you get tense, angry, frustrated or embarrassed – THIS WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR DOG. If others are being quietly judgy or even making overt statements about your dog, ignore them. They don’t matter. Focus on helping your dog be successful. Build your bubble. Stay inside the bubble. Keep others outside of that bubble.

Your first step will be checking in for your flight. You will have to queue with other people and work your way through the line. I didn’t mention this earlier, but this is not the trip to try and arrive late. Get there plenty early. Airlines have check in windows of time (usually 2 – 1.5 hours before boarding) for people traveling with dogs. Lines at airports are a challenge. This timing is particularly important if you are checking the dog to fly cargo. Miss this window and you won’t be able to fly with your dog. If you are carrying your dog in cabin, it’s still important. If you miss the check in window, your dog’s slot might be given away. Don’t be late for check in.

This is also the first place you can be challenged and your dog refused boarding. The person checking you in for the flight is going to ask questions, look at your carrier and your dog. When you booked the flight and called the airline, they also probably asked you questions and gave details about requirements. Now is not the time to argue or be funny. There’s a queue of people behind you and it’s probably already been a long day for everyone. Answer the questions as asked. The airline person is looking to see that the dog seems comfortable and you’ve met all the travel requirements.

Once you are checked in, it’s time to head to security. If you have to stand in the long line, arrange everything so you and the dog are comfortable. If you can, use services like Clear and TSA Pre-Check to speed up the process. You will have to remove the dog from the carrier, remove all collars and leashes. The carrier will go through the scanner and you will carry your dog through the metal detector. This is when the most people are going to want to pet and interact with your dog. If your dog isn’t up for it or you don’t want to allow it, don’t. Most dogs are fine, but some are feeling the stress of this moment. A growly or worse yet a snap and your trip just got very complicated. Advocate for your dog, but do it politely.

This is the most entertaining part when I travel. My dogs don’t like to come out of their carriers – example of training being too good. Hamish gets downright grumpy about having to exit his carrier and will sometimes vocalize his displeasure. This is disconcerting to some, but I ignore them. I laugh and lure him out. Once he’s out, he’s fine. Tilly is a little easier to get out, but she too would rather not. Because of their training, if a TSA agent or a person wants to say hi, I allow it, but I also make sure to keep it short. Keeping the line moving is a convenient reason. Once the carriers are out the other side of the conveyor, I set them on the floor and put my dogs down. They zip right back into their carriers. Conditioning is a beautiful thing.

The next part is waiting for boarding the flight. Waiting areas get crowded fast. I always look for a quiet space. I spot and avoid all other dogs in the area and small children. I try to find a space with air movement and will often sit on the floor with the dogs. If I am warm, I assume the dogs are too. This is where a small electric fan can come in handy. I do not offer water or food. I focus on relaxing and calming myself and usually the dogs follow right along. I stay alert to what’s going on around me.

Boarding the plane is the next part that can get complicated. Your personal carry on will have to be stowed overhead, so getting on before it all fills up will be critical. If you get to your seat and can’t find over head space, ask a flight attendant or others around you for assistance to stow it elsewhere on the plane – you can deal with that challenge when you go to get off the plane.

Your primary focus is getting your dog situated under the seat in front of you comfortably. This is the next part of the journey where you can be denied travel. I don’t push the dogs under until the plane is boarded and they are getting ready to close the door. I want to maximize airflow to the dogs at this point. I talk to those around me, ask if anyone has dog allergies and connect to my neighbors. Take off and landing is the only time my dogs might fuss and that’s because it is uncomfortable. Just like us, they can get pressure in their ears and sinuses. I let folks know that so they aren’t alarmed if the dogs fuss.

My carriers are dark colored so they are harder to see at my feet.

When the flight attendants are asking people to stow stuff and get ready for take off, I push the dogs under, Our carriers have flexible tops and I use my hand to help guide it under the seat. I also pull out a chew of some sort – pig ear, bully stick, etc. I want the dogs to have it while we take off. It helps clear their ears.

Generally, once the engines start humming, the dogs fall asleep. They tend to sleep through the flight. I do my best to not get up or go to the bathroom during the flight. It is distressing to the dogs. It is easier when I travel with someone they know. They don’t get upset, but when I’m traveling alone, I have to assess my seat neighbor’s ability to calm the dogs. Mostly I’m careful with how much I drink and avoid leaving them on the flight.

On really long flights, I have had flight attendants offer myself and the dogs breaks in their area. It’s a nice perk and they enjoy interacting with the dogs too. Training for this is critical. They need to be trained to relieve themselves on a disposable pad on command. They need to not be overly exuberant about greeting new people. They have to be willing to get back in their carriers. If any of these aren’t possible, you are better off not letting them out for a break.

You’ve survived the flight and you’re coming in for a landing. Don’t disturb the dog. If you’re lucky, they will sleep through landing. If they don’t, it is most likely due to pressure changes. If you have another chew, offer it. You can also give treats that need to be chewed to eat them. Otherwise, train a sympathetic yawn – when you yawn at your dog, they yawn back. This will clear their ears. Sometimes my dogs will fuss as we taxi to the gate and wait to unload. Generally people are sympathetic – they want the flight to be done too. Again, don’t overreact to any vocalizations or behaviors. Check your own emotions and settle yourself. The dogs will generally follow. As soon as we can stand up, I get the dogs pulled out and set up on the seats to increase airflow and let them see what’s going on. Now is the time to ask your fellow passengers to help you get your carry on that you may have had to stow several seats away. Get everything gathered and organized before you go to step out and get off. Let others go ahead of you if you aren’t ready. This isn’t the time to rush.

You’ve almost made it. You’re off the plane! Some people let their dogs out and put them on leash at this point. I strongly advise against it. Your dog is safe and contained in the carrier. Focus on getting to baggage claim and maybe a bathroom stop for you. No amount of fussing dog is going to get you in trouble now and you don’t want to reward fussing. If you have a travel companion, send them to baggage claim to get checked bags and such. Check the airport map and set a meeting point outside. If it’s been a long flight, find the pet relief area and head there first, but I’d just recommend getting outside. Many airports now have outdoor pet relief areas outside of security. My dogs don’t come out of their bags until we are outside the airport – sometimes not until we’ve gotten the rental car and completely left the airport. Everything goes faster and simpler with a contained dog. Ask yourself if you feel the need to let your dog out of their carrier because of your feelings or their actual need.

Before my trip, I make sure I know what dog friendly parks and spaces are near the airport and I have them saved in my maps. We head to one of these places where I offer water, treats and some play. I just asked a hard thing of my dog and they delivered or at least tried to. Time to pay them for their work.

Traveling with dogs is very doable and can even be fun, but only if the humans do their part and set everything up for success. Sometimes things will go wrong or not go to plan. It’s okay. Be flexible and adaptable. Have backup plans and be prepared to advocate for your dog. Smiles and cooperation go a long way toward smoothing the process. Educating others about what you’re doing, your dog, their breed and training helps create connections that will give you allies when you need them. I carry trading cards of my dogs – they have a cute picture, some of their accomplishments and a fun story about each. I also carry stickers and other baubles that I can give to flight crew, airport staff and fellow travelers. They are more sympathetic to you and your dog, if they feel a part of the journey.

I feel confident that 90% of your dogs success or failure traveling lies with you – their human. If you need help preparing for a travel adventure, I hope you’ll reach out. Whether it’s well before or right before, we’re happy to help you have a fun and successful adventure.