I am getting ready to take the plunge on my first lab! I am looking to train her to be a duck hunting companion and really look forward to using force-free methods... perhaps even clicker training! The thing that concerns me, however, is that I live in Pennsylvania and the breeder that I would like to use in located in Texas. It would be about a 20 hour (one way) drive. I was wondering what your thoughts are on travelling by airplane (probably about a 5 or 6 hour flight) with a 8-10 week old puppy. Is it better to have pup with me at me feet in the cabin or below with cargo, etc? Could travelling by plane with a pup make her more timid or afraid or anything else due to noises, vibrations, cabin pressure, etc? Would you forsee any problems that could arise during training at a later point due to travelling? Have you had any experience with flying with a very young pup? Any information or articles that you may have written would be very helpful. Ideally, I would like to drive home with the pup but I don't know if that is going to be possible.
Hello and a warm welcome to the forum. I looked into flying with a young puppy because I'm buying my new pup in Scotland and I live in Europe. Sadly the restrictions on importing a puppy don't allow me to do this, but I was more than happy to do it. I would certainly have been happier having the puppy with me in the cabin than in cargo. I don't think this one-off thing would affect the puppy long term. I know of two members who have flown with their adult dogs, so they may be able to help you a little more. That's @Dexter (Angela), who recently had her boy fly from Dubai to the UK (and back) in cargo, and @Emily_BabbelHund who has flown with her dog in the cabin.
Why is it such a long flight? Is there a connection? I'd be worried about what happens to my dog while waiting for the connection. Airlines are meant to keep dogs in their crates in special waiting areas that are air-conditioned between flights, but I read of a horrible story of a dog in his crate exposed to sun on the runway while waiting to be loaded onto the connection, and the dog died of heatstroke. Being winter, I'd be worried about a pup getting cold. I'd much rather travel with the pup in a carrier crate at my feet -- and being so small, I guess a Lab puppy could be at your feet -- I believe they must fit under the seat in front of you.
My Pomeranian was flown to us from the breeder at 10 weeks old and he was perfectly happy. He was in the cargo, which made me nervous but he was fine! It was an 8 hour flight too. We picked him up and he was happily chewing his toys and wiggley, no harm done. We would have drove to get him but it was mid winter and the highway we would have had to take is just to sketchy for me in the winter. If we were flying with him we would have had him in the cabin with us as a carry on but we didn't have that option as we weren't flying.
My sister once went to Sweden to get her Dobermann puppy. He slept on her lap during the flight. It was a 2 hours flight though...
When I quickly searched the flights, they did include a layover. When the time comes (probably in a few months) I will find a flight that is nonstop which should only be about 3 hours. Thanks for your input!
My Sparky came by plane from Missouri to New Jersey. IIRC it was a long journey from him, being dropped off at the airport by the breeder around 9-10 am, and not arriving here until 10 PM. The breeder had to change the flight time since they said it would be too hot for the puppy on the tarmac and it will be better at a later time. I was really worried about the puppy. They did make sure he had water. I wasn't quite sure if they gave him food though since his food packet from the breeder was still mostly full. The newspaper lining was wet but there was no poo after cleaning up the crate. So 3 hours is definitely not an issue. If you want I can share my breeder with you. She has pups available as we speak. =)
Bailey flew to us as a 7 1/2 week old as our breeder is interstate-in Australia. He did 2 flights, in a crate, in cargo. He showed no ill effects at all. The paper in his crate was damp, but no poop! He popped out of his crate and lay with our two grandchildren in the car for the 30 minute drive home. This was in May in Adelaide so the weather wasn't an issue. I would certainly do the same again. In fact our daughter and son in law will be picking up their puppy on 16th of this month! Same breeder, same sire, just different mum. I'm waiting to see if our Bailey recognises the smell of his breeder.
Hi there! Congratulations on your new puppy! As @snowbunny mentioned, I flew a LOT with my dog in cabin (40+ times). He loved it and had no ill-effects, even on his maiden voyage. He was not a puppy, though. Not sure if that would make it easier or harder. I also flew my rescue poodle in cabin when I went to adopt him (Detroit to San Francisco). He also did absolutely fine. I put him in a soft carrier, put a nice blanket in the bottom and then put wee pads over that, taking extra wee pads for a change in case he needed it. Personally, I've heard too many horror stories to fly my dog in the hold unless it was literally a question of life and death. In your circumstances, if you couldn't fly him in cabin, I would get in my car and drive without hesitation. But plenty of people (including people here on the forum who can perhaps share their experiences) do it without incident every day. A friend of mine, who loves her pups more than anything, flew them from from Paris to San Francisco and swears by using a dog transport agency for making sure everything ran smoothly. If you do decide to do the hold thing, choose the airline carefully, understand that too cold/too hot times of year should be ruled out (the hold may be heated/cooled but they often let the dogs sit on the tarmac) and pick a straight through only. Fly with the dog (in the same plane) and watch your dog be put into the hold and check with the crew to make sure he's in there and that the pilot knows there is a dog in the hold. DON'T medicate the dog in any way. This is stuff I've seen advised over and over again from people who fly their dogs in the hold. I still wouldn't do it. You'd have to put me into a medically-induced coma just so I could make it through the flight. My head would explode. I realise that I'm in a very privileged position of being able to fly with my dog in cabin, and this is not something that most people are able to do. But honestly, in your case...I'd just get in the car and drive if it isn't possible to put the little girl in cabin with you.
Hi there, My dog is 4 and he flew in cargo last year on a 7 hour flight ....this was actually his second time as he flew to us in the Middle East from the Uk at the age of 5 months.He has been absolutely fine when he has come off every flight ,however if I would have had the opportunity to have him in the cabin I would have done that all day long and would particularly look into that for a dog 8-10 weeks.My reason for saying this is I would be worried about the pup being alone during the extended time of check-in ,holding,loading ,unloading,processing etc.....it's such a bewildering time for them when they are leaving their Mum and litter, I think they would find a cargo flight stressful....
Thank you everyone for the feedback. As it turns out, the puppy will be driven home to me by car and will not have to fly. *phew*
You know what...I am getting a pup in Jan. And I may have to relocate to my homeland after 3-4 years. It is going to be a 18-19 hour - 1 stop flight. The pup will be a 3-4 year adult dog by then but I am still so unhappy that he will have to go thru all that one day. He will have to go in cargo which makes it so scary. I have ready about it a lot because I wanted to make sure that before I get a pup - I should be knowing how he can fly back with me. I called up Lufthansa since I read it is a pet friendly airline. I then called up a friend who had also flown with his dog - on a 20 hour flight. Everyone told me, it is possible - but it is a lot of work. There are temperature restrictions that every Airlines/Airport has. I believe the temperature at the starting airport, the layover airport and the destination airport should not be more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a lot of planning involved. The dog has to be made comfortable with the airline approved crate - and all that. I am still nervous when I think about it...but again - it is something that may/may not happen after 3-4 years - so I can't plan for that right now.
Kudos to you for thinking about this even before you get your puppy. As I mentioned above, I had a friend who flew her three very beloved dogs from Paris to San Francisco. It is not as long of a trip as you are talking about, but my friend absolutely swears by the pet transport agency that she used. They made sure all the paperwork was correct and I think also accompanied the dogs until they were actually loaded on the plane and had someone meet the dogs at the other end. All her dogs made it fine. There are also other options, such as airlines that only fly dogs/animals. I looked into this years ago before I could fly in cabin with my dog. It is expensive, but today there are also more possibilities. When I was looking 17 years ago, the only option were companies that flew race horses and zoo animals! When I made inquiries, someone actually actually answered my email with: "If you had an elephant, we could help you - a 65kg dog is too small!". My only point is, keep your eyes open for a "Plan B" in case you have to move, and then if that day does come, you will already have a lot of information at the ready to make sure your pup stays with you and is safe.
