Flying in cabin w 8 week old

[leeza]

Hi! Picking up my first puppy (have had and flown w other dogs before) soon
Please bear with the ramble.

This will be the first time flying with a dog in cabin. The puppy is eight weeks to the day (breeder was happy to have them longer but since it's a long journey we ended up having to choose that day)

Of course I was told yesterday about someone who flew four hours with a non stop yapping adult dog in cabin. This is my nightmare

i take great pride in having calm dogs but of course this is a baby who has gone from Over a dozen dogs to none. Taken by a stranger, into a tiny crate in a noisy flight. I can't work dog training magic in five minutes.

Ours is of excellent non fearful temperament so that gives a leg up in the experience not being so traumatic.

What can be done non medically to alleviate any issues? Any experiences?

Of course at 8 weeks she's not potty trained either and we have a domestic flight with one connection back home.

The connection is one hour, i do not want to exit the airport for a potty break because it will be a highly trafficked area for her pre vax.

I'm bringing extra pee pads and for this trip only, will encourage her in a hopefully abandoned bathroom stall to pee on them.

Anyone else who has had to fly puppies home please share experiences

Driving would have been a worse option so this was most humane for the puppy.

 

[tumisho]

@leeza I flew with my 8 week old puppy, and she slept the entire flight in her carrier.
The breeder got her used to it beforehand so she knew what it was like in there already.

 

[leeza]

@tumisho Comforting to hear! Am bringing a borrowed Carrier but it could go well with a tired enough puppy!

 

[tumisho]

@leeza It went super well!!!
I definitely recommend the pee pads, especially since parvo is such a huge risk, i would try to find a low traffic area and put a pad down.
Otherwise i kept her in her carrier, and my flight was 5 hours she did really well, and no accidents!

 

[leeza]

@tumisho Glad it went so well -Thank you so much for the reassurance!!

 

[doots]

@leeza Ship out the carrier in advance so the dog can acclimate to it.

 

[sherelle]

@leeza How long are the 2 flights (since you mention connection)? What breed is the puppy?

It will be fine, maybe there will be some whining. Depending on the flight crew you might be allowed to put the bag in your lap or take the pup out to comfort him but they may say no.

Try speaking softly to calm him down and have treats at hand - best would be one of those tubes with liver paste - you need a 1cm gap in the bag to let him lick it and licking is very soothing.

 

[leeza]

@sherelle Standard poodle- two flights at hour flight each, with a one hour connection. Licking being soothing is a good point. I will see if we kept our previous dogs licky mat! Also won't fill up the stomach so much as feeding lots of treats minimizing poop accident possibilities!

 

[katyliz]

@leeza Your flights are so short! Regarding your worry about bothering people: it's only an hour! If your puppy cries and won't stop, sure it might bother some people, but they will survive. You're not making this trip for fun after all, you're moving your puppy to their new home! Plus, and maybe this is subjective, but I'd much rather sit next to a crying puppy than a crying human baby

If it makes you feel any better, I was in that situation with my two cats. We did a super long 11ish hour fight, then a layover, then a 90min fight. On the 90min flight my cats had had it and started to meow loudly. All we could do was apologize to the people around us, but they were all very sympathetic and understanding

No matter how your pup reacts to the plane, it's gonna be alright!

 

[fidelsandoval]

@katyliz Exactly this I will take a puppy crying over a loud screaming kid that kicks your seat
Good luck w the flights They aren’t that bad for an hour each
Just comfort and pet the baby
I agree w the suggestion to try and wear the puppy out before the flight

 

[mcwilson40]

@leeza And vomiting as well

 

[cherishedteddies]

@leeza Standard Poodles are the best dogs! I drove 7 hours with my baby poodle when she was 8 weeks old and she slept the entire time. I’m guessing your puppy will also sleep the entire time!

 

[michaelthiessen]

@sherelle If you put her on your lap, also place a pee pad on your lap. Speaking from experience.

 

[amysz1217]

@leeza Good on using the bathroom stall, don’t use the public relief area cause the puppy doesn’t have all vaccines and you never know.
I carried extra pee pads and would put two inside the carrier. If she peed on one I would throw it away and clean her with a wet wipe or paper towel
Also bring paper towels and zip loc bags so if the puppy poops while flying maybe you can scoop it out and put it in the ziploc.
Also just carry the dog by hand while walking so the doggie knows they’re not alone. Mine slept the whole way and didn’t even cry…. I think the airplane sound soothed her to sleep. Also a poodle btw good luck!

 

[bobo_mcpherson]

@leeza Consider trying to tire the puppy out ahead of time so they sleep? Possibly the transition itself will be tiring enough?

Could you go out early so you can spend some time with the puppy before flying and start learning their particular cues? What types of scratches and treats they like?

 

[leeza]

@bobo_mcpherson Will have maybe an hour or so in the airport before boarding so will bring a toy and try playing to get some energy out- thank you!

 

[vince07713]

@leeza If you are allowed to, let the puppy sniff around too!

The stimulation from sniffing all the new smells will get them super tired.

Edit - at safe locations (breeders place before pick up) due to no full vaccine shots yet as mentioned by commenter below.

 

[fish14]

@vince07713 Do not. Puppy hasn't had shots and airports are high traffic areas.

 

[vince07713]

@fish14 That is a good point - not at the airport but maybe at the breeder's before pick up so it is safe.

 

[kaylaat]

@leeza Most airports have “family restrooms” that are single rooms with a locking door. Cover the floor with potty pads. Probably your best option for encouraging the pup to potty on the layover and possibly before and after the flights. I would also ask the breeder what they are using for potty training/pottying. If they’re using kitty litter or something you could ask for a bit and put it on one of the potty pads to encourage the appropriate behavior Good luck! Lots of pups just sleep on flights