Question:

We would like to take our 16 month old maltipoo, Abigail with us on an airplane trip to Florida. She loves to ride in the car and has been cross country and on several shorter trips but never flown. I want to make her trip a comfortable and positive experience. Can you give me any advise?

Thanks, Jackie

Answer:

Hi, that’s a great question since flying with a dog on an airplane can be a bit tricky. It’s definitely smart to prepare way in advance.

Here is a list of the 7 things to do & know:

1. Call an airline ahead to find out their exact rules and guidelines. You’ll want to choose a flight that allows your Maltipoo to travel with you, in a carrier. Most airlines allow this for dogs under 20 pounds. When pets are placed with cargo down below, this can be very dangerous due to extreme temperature changes, not to mention that the whole experience can be emotionally traumatizing.

2. Choose the travel carrier carefully. For those airlines that do allow pets to travel with owners, they will need to be in a travel carrier. Luckily, since the Maltipoo is small dog, this can be accomplished. However, rules on the measurements of the carrier are very strict. You’ll want to take measurements to be absolutely sure that it meets the regulations and does not exceed width, height or depth by even an inch.

3. Train your Maltipoo to become used to the carrier. Even if he does well in a car seat and is happy to be in a sling, canine travel crates are much different. 10 to 15 minutes twice per day, with you right beside him should be fine, since when he flies on the plane with you, you’ll always be close by, able to speak to him which should help keep him calm. It can help to buy a few new toys that your Maltipoo is only allowed to play with when inside the crate; this can help him start to associate the carrier with someone fun.

4. Book a direct flight. Changing planes is stressful enough without having to worry about your Maltipoo too.

5. Health-check papers. Many flights want you to produce papers stating that your dog is in good health and up-to-date on shots. In most cases, this must be dated within 10 days of travel. So, you’ll want to plan ahead to obtain this from the veterinarian. If you are ever traveling overseas, there may be much stricter regulations, so you’ll want to inquire about this. If this is not done properly, you could find yourself in a situation in which your dog is quarantined, and of course, you want to avoid this at all cost.

6. Dealing with bathroom needs. Unless the flight is very short, traveling on a plane will no doubt involve your dog needing to go to the bathroom at some point. If allowed to do this freely in the crate, it can be uncomfortable for your dog, not to mention every other passenger will be miffed at you. This is where doggie diapers can come in handy. While you’ll have some cleaning up to do once you land (via quality canine body wipes), keeping urine and feces contained makes for a much more comfortable flight.

7. Calming remedies. If you know that your Maltipoo doesn’t do well with planes, you can start this before takeoff. While these do not work for all dogs, some dogs do respond well to chews that contain a colostrum calming complex. There are also sprays that can help, the ones that often work best are those with a lavender chamomile fragrance. This is sprayed within the carrier and not on the dog. As a side note, these can also help with car travel as well.

While some vets will prescribe a tranquilizer for pets to be given before airplane travel, unless a dog has a strong history of intolerance for planes, we do not recommend this. Many are not tested to see how animals respond when at high altitude and if a dog were to have an allergic reaction, tens of thousands of feet in the sky is not where you want to be.

Have a great flight!

Love, Hugs & Maltipoo Kisses,

The PetMaltipoo Team

Have you ever taken your Maltipoo on a plane? How did it go? If you have any extra tips for this reader, leave your comment below!