Flying with my yorkie
 

We are in the air now. About 3 hours left. I want her to be hydrated but I don't want to wake her up and I don't want her to go to the bathroom in her carrier. I last gave her water about two hours ago. Should I wake her up and give it to her, or let her sleep and wait a bit longer? My concern is she will wake up and want to get out of her carrier, she's never been in it this long. She took a little bit of anxiety med about 7 hours ago. I don't want to give her any more but I don't want her to wake up and freak out in the air. Takeoff was hard on her but she calmed down. They wanted me to keep her under the seat. No way!

If/when she is quiet or sleeping, I'd leave her be. She will be okay w/out water for a few hours, no problem. How is she doing today?

Oh gee it used to be $75 each way! Gues that would be $150 round trip.

They will insist that the dog be in an approved carrier and under the seat at your feet. Most dogs that get used to it just go to sleep once the landing gear is up.

We fly so much I don't even think about it much any more. Lots of folks get something from their vets to help take the edge off and relax the pup. Some use benedryl.

I have flown cross country several times with Calleigh. I don't get a direct flight because this gives us time to stop, get water and potty. Although she wouldn't go potty until we arrived here in CA. I guess I'm lucky because she has always done well in the crate under the seat. I have unzipped it a few times to pet her. The last time I traveled with her we went Southwest and it cost $100 roundtrip. That was in 2014. I hope your trip went well. :)

I wish I could fly with my boys but since I have two and am single it doesn't pay. I would need to purchase the seat next to mine in order to bring them both.

I was just about to post a new thread asking if anyone has flown with their baby. I'm flying in September to the East Coast from The Bay Area. I've never flown with a dog before so I don't know what to expect or really what to do. So there is an extra fee for the dog? I thought it was free?

I think the fee varies between airlines, but definitely not free. Too bad huh?
You also have to check with the specific airlines, which carrier they approve. Many carriers say airline approved* by that you need to check to make sure. I think I read somewhere that you need three-sided ventilation - not sure if that's required for all airlines.

Omg I just read most of them want $125 each way! The carrier I have is 3 sided ventilation and it has a guarantee on board thing that I have to print out on some GOBFLY website. I had no Idea you had to pay especially that much!:eek:

Wow! $125 is crazy expensive! :(
Really sucks. I have two too. Won't ever get to fly with them...guess we'll have to stick with road trips!

You could register Beowulf if you are certified to have a psychological need for a therapy dog though...then flying is free, or so I've read.

Yeah that's illegal.

Please, do not advise people to fake their dogs to fly free- it's a huge problem.

ESA's- or emotional support animals, require a special letter from a doctor stating the owner is disabled and they should have an ESA. ESA's DO get to fly and they get to live in housing, but that is the extent of where they go. They are different from service animals, like guide, autism, and mobility dogs, who are permitted in all public spaces.

As for flying (legally!!) with your dog, get an approved carrier from the airline and PRACTICE, don't just shove the dog in morning of. Yes, you have to pay the fee. It's just how things are. If you don't want to, then board your dog, drive, or have a staycation instead. Yes, they need to remain in the carrier. This is for the safety of everyone on board especially legitimate service animals- many pet dogs have behavioral issues or will be overly stressed on a plane and could act out, endangering a service dog team or the people on the plane. Service animals don't fly in carriers, so they have no defense if your pet dog gets away or decides to bite or otherwise harass.

I was a wreck about flying home with Maggie when I picked her up, but it was really easy. I bought an approved carrier, "reserved" her spot on the flight, and it was a breeze. I did pay (I don't remember how much-about $100-$125? The only surprise was that the fee has to be paid in cash (Delta). Fortunately, I had that much with me! Usually I walk around with two bucks and a check card!

I agree about training your dog to the carrier-maybe with car rides? Feed lightly the day of the flight.

Good luck with the trip!

Good points! When my dog went through the the 18 to 24 month service dog training they took several plane flights during the training to get them accustomed to it, along with all the other training they got.

You have to make a reservation because the airlines will only allow a certain number of dogs on each flight.

When we went to Westminster (my bucket list trip !) this year it was interesting to see how the airlines handles all the pups flying into NYC from all,over the world!

2 pounds full grown? Wth? How big is the female you are breeding?

Yes, agreed 100%. Sorry, I wasn't advising...more like mentioning that those certified (by doctors) can have dogs fly with them without charge - it was a half joke because I read about it all these scams online on how to get fake documentation for a free flight. I would never ever condone it!

Sorry LoveMyBeowulf!! this wasn't meant to be advice, I promise!! It totally doesn't read as jokingly as it sounded in my head - definitely wasn't intended to be offensive!! :( Love u? ;)

Ya know what I wish? I wish airports had doggie toilet areas. It would solve a whole lot of problems.

I fly from Sacramento to MA. As others have suggested, practice getting your pup used to the carrier before you fly. The cost varies for each airline it seems. I have never had a problem with Calleigh on board. She doesn't even whine or anything. I put my hand in front of the carrier and talk to her to let her know I'm there. I was very surprised how well she did on the first flight. I think if you're more relaxed, your pup will do better.

Regarding Yorkie Puppy
 

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:yelrotflm I know! You did say IF I have a psychological need. I do have history of depression so I can talk to my doctor about this and have this done LEGALLY. Love you too friend!

Yes the day I got the carrier he went right in! He loves carriers cause he knows he gets to go buh-byes :D. I keep it on the floor by the stairs and he goes in it all the time. He does want to take it for a test drive everytime we get ready to go he goes in his airline carrier but I always take him out and him in his fancier one because it has more room for him, but I should just take him out in it to see how he does. Now what worries me is the air pressure do they feel pain in their ears? Is there something I can give him to prevent it from happening?

Yes I have been familiarizing him with his carrier and he loves it and I know he's dying to take it on a test drive because he gets in it when we get ready to go but I always put him in his regular one because it more spacious for him, but I will start taking him out on his airline carrier:thumbup: I'm not going til the end of September so I have time:)

It sounds like you're doing all of the right things as far as getting him used to the crate. I never really crated Calleigh and she seemed to do just fine in it. I should imagine the dogs feel pressure in their ears the same as we do. I don't think there is anything you can do for it. As long as there isn't any type of ear infection I'm sure he'll be fine with the pressure.

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I used to fly with my Shih Tzu/Yorkie a lot before his health prevented it.. He was excellent at it. A soft sided carrier, minimal fluids beforehand with a small bit of Valium from his vet, and yes layovers for his comfort. My new Yorkie is just at 5 months old. I have not attempted it yet with him as he has completely comfortable with hotels yet.
Unfortunately, most flight attendants do not allow the dog out of the carrier. I had one that let him out for water in flight, another that refused to let us deplane until we rezipped his carrier (we were at the back of the plane and last to get off). So much of it is flight attendant dependent.

One person flying with two yorkies and some travel advice
 

The last I checked, Southwest will allow a single person to travel with two small dogs in a two dog carrier.

We purchased the large Sturdy Bag with the divider for our dogs. We have yet to take them on a plane, but we wanted to be ready! Even though the bag says it is suitable for up to a 20 pound dog, my two pups are super crowded in the carrier---and they weigh 4.75 and 5.5 pounds. As such, we will probably only use this carrier for short flights, and then only if my husband or I need to travel alone. If we are together, then we'll give each of them their own bag.

In terms of advice, I flew a number of 12-hour trans-atlantic flights with my previous Yorkie. She was a pretty calm girl and her vet felt she would do fine without any meds. In fact, he was concerned about such a small dog having sedatives at altitude. I did give her a number of opportunities to use her pee pad in the airplane bathroom, but she was so freaked out to not be in her bag while on the big, scary plane, that she never took me up on the offer. I did, however, always take a pad out for her in baggage claim and she used it maybe once or twice.

I usually gave her a light meal about 4-5 hours before the flight then walked her around the airport for 1/2 an hour to 40 minutes after check-in and before going through security. I would offer her water every 3 hours or so on the flight, but she was usually not interested. It seemed to me that she mostly just wanted to sleep and with each flight she got less and less shaky about take off and landing.

After a flight, I usually had a meal and lots of water ready to offer her once she had a chance to walk around outside and do her business, and before getting into a car. Generally, I found that she did better on single flights rather than with layovers, unless we had sufficient time to go outside for a good walk.

We mostly flew Air France, which is a great airline for dogs. They always let me keep her carrier on my lap during takeoff and landing----realizing, rightly that my dog is not luggage. People get to keep their human babies on their laps for takeoff, so I find it hard to understand why my canine baby cannot always be treated the same way.

In the states I flew Delta (found them great for dogs) and US Air (horrible for us, but hey, they no longer really exist) with her.

I am sure that each dog is different, and I have yet to see if our new babies are going to handle air travel well or not. I could have just lucked out with my last Yorkie, but wanted to share my experiences anyway.

I have a friend that flies international with 2 small dogs or more. She puts 2 of them in the same carrier and flies Delta.

air Canada only $50 to fly with them

Hey, sorry, I just saw this! The charge for her was $100, but I am going to get a letter from my therapist saying she helps with my anxiety and depression so she can fly free as an emotional support animal. Basically a letter saying how she helps me (calming me down when I am panicking or experiencing PTSD), etc. However, I think it should not be required. If a dog is as small as yorkies are, and well behaved or sedated, I'm not sure why lots of excess charges are necessary unless the animal makes a mess or causes a disturbance. The flight was about 6-7 hours, and she actually did come out of the sedation (more on that later)!

There is a difference between an emotional support animal and service dog. My dog is becoming an emotional support animal but she doesn't have the training required to become a service dog. Service dogs perform a specific task that their disabled owner cannot do. Moxie helps me with my (long diagnosed) depression, anxiety, and PTSD, but she isn't trained to perform specific tasks (and is probably TOO STUBBORN TO, but that's another story, lol)

You need to tell them beforehand, whether it's a pet you are paying a fee for, an ESA as documented by your therapist (and honestly, I think some people fake this and just see a doctor once or something :l) that will need to be in a TSA approved carrier that can fit under the seat, or a certified service dog.

definitely practice with the carrier.

unless your dog is extremely well behaved and always listens obediently, I would say mild sedation is probably a good idea. Not completely knocked out, but pretty out of it and calm. Moxie was under the seat in her bag quietly, but started to whine and cry a little right as the airplane left the ground, I think the noise and air pressure freaked her out. I was supposed to leave her under seat in her carrier but I put it on my lap and she quieted down immediately. Not ideal, it's something we need to work on. After takeoff, I put her carrier back under the seat until her sedation wore off near the end of the flight. My neighbor tapped me on the back. Moxie had not only gotten out of her stupor, she had found a way to get the zippers down and tried to escape :O
I have the most mischevious, poorly behaved yorkie in the world:eek:
She wasn't noisy or making a mess but she didn't want to go back in the carrier, she wanted me to hold her.

Luckily (and I will only fly at night now until she is better trained to stay in the whole time no matter what) it was a late night flight, the lights were off, and everyone was sleeping. I know it wasn't the "right" thing to do, but she was quiet as a mouse, no one was sitting next me, no one saw, and no one was bothered, so instead of putting her right back in the carrier and risking her whining or getting excited, I held her to keep her calm. I also got to choose seating beforehand and purposely chose an emptier flight and a seat with an empty one next to it. I think all of this helped. So I didn't need to make a tough call about more sedation or have to force her back in her crate at that very minute. Even though I wasn't supposed to :eek::eek:, I held her in my lap a little bit in the dark until she got sleepy and calm again before putting her back in to her carrier. I would reach in occasionally and pet her but after that she was fine until the end. So in hindsight, definitely really practice training w/ the carrier. I will train her to do better next time, but I was pretty proud of her, considering she is a crazy ball of manic energy to burn who generally does what she wants and thinks she is a person and sees no reason why she should not fly as such.
All of those with well behaved dogs who never made a peep or stayed patiently the entire trip, tips please?