Hi, I will have a new puppy in one week On Sept 19, my puppy will be 3 months old. Sometime during the first week of Oct I will have to fly to NY for a few weeks and will be taking the puppy with me. The flight will be 3.5 hrs long plus the time spent in the airport checking in and waiting to take off, etc. What tips can you give me for traveling with such a young dog? I am mostly concerned about managing potty needs during the trip. What can I expect and how should I plan for this trip for the puppy's potty needs? How bad will it be if the puppy cannot hold during the flight?
I haven’t flown with mine, but I know several people on the boards have. Try searching the forum maybe .. I know I’ve seen some about flying home with a brand new puppy, etc and it wouldn’t be that much different for you, I expect.
Thank you for responding. I posted a similar question about one month ago. But I am so nervous about this that I needed to ask this again. Thanks again.
I took my Winston on a 2 hour flight to San Diego at that age. The vet prescribed Trazadone for him. He slept the whole flight. No accidents. I did not restrict water before. We preflight check in and waiting for bags, renting a car, he was fine. I stopped after getting the car and he peed on grass. No problem.
I flew home with a 10 week old puppy with no problems. As puppy won't have all his shots yet you won't want to let him down on the floor or outside in the grass. While you are home with him, make sure he will go on a pee pad. You can put one down in the bathroom before you get on the plane and as soon as you land, he may or may not go because of distractions. We just drove home 6 hours with our second Havi. I put pee pad on the back seat and he peed when we stopped. We only stopped once. I put these liners in my carriers for plane flights or long car trips just in case of accident:
DryFur Pet Carrier Insert Pads (I am not sure whey the picture doesn't show but if click amazon it will take you to the pads.)
I let them have a little water about half way through. Air planes have such dry air. You will also want some wipes for just in case. When I fly with our first Havi now, if he gets fussy (bored) during the flight, I put the whole carrier in my lap but don't take him out because I don't want him to think whining gets him sprung from the carrier. I just hate the other passengers having to listen to him. He always fusses a little on descent - I think it bothers his ears.
It is very doable. We practiced being in the case (a lot), driving him around, carrying him in the case etc. etc. There are dog pottys in many airports, but agree he is too young. I would bring wipes, a change of pads in the case, disposable towels in the case, and the knowledge that even if he does do something, it will all be fine. If our guy gets restless we put our fingers in the case, but mostly he sleeps when we fly, and we fly a lot with him. I think acclimatizing to the travel case, and knowing that whining will NOT get you out, will do the trick. Our guy has actually learned not to drink much water en route- but we do offer it.
In our experience, thoughtfulness is the most important part of travel! I am sure no one would object to an adorable puppy on their very own wee wee pad... that said, there are always grumps, and I would try to do that in a far corner. There are always areas that are not heavily populated. (We have been known to let ours out of the case while waiting at the gate.. which is not allowed. So far,no one has complained as long as he stays kind of under the seat) We have only ever problems with other dogs; true therapy/assistance dogs are impeccably trained, it is the poorly behaved ESA dogs who can be difficult.
Being used to the carrier is really important. I forget about that because we make ours ride in the carrier in the car each and every time we go in the car. I use Sleepypod Air for car and plane. He is so used to it that it isn't a problem. I often just walk Loki through the airport on leash and put him in carrier just before we board the plane. No one has ever said anything. Yours will be too young though to be walking through the airport. As for pottying, I would find the quietest place possible. I like the handicap stall in the bathroom. Loki won't go if he is distracted by people, etc. A quiet corner will do though.
Don't worry too much. The puppy will pick up on your anxiety.
Being used to the carrier is really important. I forget about that because we make ours ride in the carrier in the car each and every time we go in the car. I use Sleepypod Air for car and plane. He is so used to it that it isn't a problem. I often just walk Loki through the airport on leash and put him in carrier just before we board the plane. No one has ever said anything. Yours will be too young though to be walking through the airport. As for pottying, I would find the quietest place possible. I like the handicap stall in the bathroom. Loki won't go if he is distracted by people, etc. A quiet corner will do though.
Don't worry too much. The puppy will pick up on your anxiety.
I have flown with two of my puppies and it has been no problem at all. They have slept the whole time, and have pottied on a pee pad in a quiet corner of the airport upon landing.
The 2 hour ride TO the airport was more eventful with both. ...Minor car sickness with the first one, and a poop incident that was TOTALLY our fault with the other. She TRIED to tell us, and we decided she just needed to "settle" in the car. Until that unmistakable odor told us we had not listened to her desperate attempt to tell us she needed to go! Thank heavens we had brought lots of paper towels, baby wipes, bottled water and a spare crate pad as well as a kitchen trash bag. We cleaned her up, cleaned her crate up and got back on the road, after a stop to get rid of the mess in a gas station trash bin!
After that, the airport and airplane was a piece of cake!
Sad . . . I just wrote a long post to you, Nora, and then I lost it. I wanted to let you know that I usually use Google instead of the forum search feature. You may wish to try that to find the answers to any particularly specific questions you have. Put the topic in quotes along with the words "havanese forum." Good luck!
We had a similar problem when Tina was very young. We flew in the morning and did not feed her prior to the flight. At three months, most puppies do not have a problem not relieving them self during the night so 4-5 hours will should be OK. Most airports have a dog relief area on the property, some places even at the gate, make sure that you give her an opportunity to go at the airport. We gave Tina one half of a Benadryl tablet about a half hour before boarding to help reduce the anxiety . All went well.
I have traveled across the whole United States by car and plane with my puppy. My Sofi did great! We stopped often in the car and I let her go pee pee. She slept most of the time in the car. On the plane, she slept most of the time in her carrier. It may have something to do with the vibration. In her carrier was a pee pee pad and whenever we hit an airport, we took a pee pee pad and put it on the floor. We had a collapsible bowl for food and water.
My Zoey on the other hand gets car sick and next week I have to drive 1,800 miles with her. The vet gave me Adaptil to spray on her bed. It worked the last time I drove 25 miles with her. I plan to use that again. It has a calming effect. I tried giving her Pet Calm drops but she still threw up.
You want to be sure to have plenty of wipes, plastic bags to throw waste away, a dry towel, and paper towels plus extra pee pee pads and either a collapsible bowl or a lixit attached to her crate so she will have access to water. You also might want to have a luggage cart with wheels so you can wheel her through the airport.
I think you will be fine. Nobody said anything to me about my dog except just wanting to know what I had in the cage. I told them I had a monkey because Sofi would make noises exactly like a monkey!! LOL
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