# Bringing puppy home on a plane?



## Jo Ellen

MJ brought Jules home on a plane like that. I'll PM her and give her a heads up, I'm sure she's a good one to talk to!

Very exciting


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## Pointgold

I have flown with several puppies in Sherpa bags, which fit under the seat. They've all done very well. You are not supposed to have them out in the cabin, but I've found that most flight attendants are pretty lenient about that rule. I have found that for the most part, the puppies almost do better being left in the bags, as getting them out excites them and they aren't as inclined to want to return to the carriers. 
They do well, and I have no qualms about flying them this way.


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## Jazz & Jules

Hi There! I recently flew with Jules home on a plane when he was 8 weeks old. As mentioned - the airline will have some very detailed information.

Airlines will ask that your puppy has eaten within 4 hours of flying. My breeder has now flown several puppies home and per her vets suggestions, withhold food and water prior to flying. Prevents the chances of elimination on the plane. I kept a pocket full of kibbles to feed a few now and then while traveling and asked for a cup of ice chips also to give Jules as well.

Make your airline reservations early and inform them of a puppy traveling. Airlines are allowed to carry only so many pets at one time, even in cabin. Then arrive at the airport early as well to ensure your seat reservation.

Do you have a layover at all during your flight. If so I suggest taking some pee pads and when you land, go to the restroom and encourage your puppy to do his business.

I was able to spend a week with my breeder before traveling home so we worked with potty training before coming home. Every time he did bathroom work, we would all get excited and say 'good hurry up' and of course I would take him out of his box many times while there and take him outside just for the purpose of potty time and tell him 'hurry up'

Another thing my breeder did was carry him around in his travel bag often to get him conditioned to traveling. 

Just sitting there he did squeal a lot but for the car ride and plane ride he was a complete angel!

The vet should know what is needed for the health clearances. It's really a very simple certificate and I am certain the airline web sites will detail this out as well.

Get an aisle seat! Easier to load you and your puppy in and the crew LOVES to come admire their furry travelers. Jules even got to go to the cockpit at the end of his flight and the pilot came back holding him with his set of wings!


And on a final note - Per the breeders suggestion and my vet - We used Bach's Rescue Remedy for our flight home. It's a herbal product that is used to curb edginess, anxiety and stress. Just a few drops on the tongue 30 minutes before flying and your pup will be ready to go. It does not drug them into a sleepy state, it simply calms them. Also a very good product to use for thunderstorm phobic dogs, during fireworks and for trips to the vet to calm them down. You can find this online, in health food stores and I got mine at the local grocery store in the health food section.

Going through airport security you will have to carry him through the metal detectors so have his collar off him at that time.

I just purchased one of those $15 bags from Walmart for a 22 lb pet.

On the plane he never made a sound, I did however warn the person in front of me I had a puppy under their seat in case he got wiggly and they felt something moving! LOL!

After the plane took off, I would pull he bag out from under the seat and carry the bag in my lap and reach in and pet him while flying until we prepared for landing.

You are going to have a blast bringing your puppy home on the plane!!! Jules was a hit at the airport and on the plane by all!


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## Loisiana

Flip rode home on the plane with me. The breeder said the pups always just sleep right through the flight. Not this dog. He threw a hissy fit about being stuffed in a bag. Lots of complaining from passengers but not much I could do about it. Attendent made me keep the bag on the floor. I heard the man behind me say he wish he had taken a human sedative.

I finally figured out that if I unzipped the bag enough to let his head stick out, he was fine and slept the whole rest of the way like that.


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## amy22

I flew with Misty from CA to FL about a 5 hours flight when she was 12 weeks old. She did fine! Although on the way back she barely fit in the bag..I opened the side flap so she could lay stretched out! She was perfect and the flight attendents were really noce I took her out and had her on my lap for a while. She did great. Just make sure you have all the certificates and all that the airline require...they are all different. Congratulations on your new puppy!!


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## nolefan

Hey amsam.... thanks for starting the thread and to everyone who responded.... I'm bringing our new baby home on a plane on January 4th and am glad to hear from everyone. Also glad to hear that the majority had good experience... hopefully my little angel won't pull a 'Flip'  Glad to hear that Flip was eventually calmed... I'll file that away just in case....

Pretty much have had the same advice, also to bring along baby wipes and some little towels in case of an accident. 

Should be an adventure


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## amsam

Thank you to everyone for the advice! This is all really helpful! You even answered questions I didn't realize I had. I hadn't thought about going through a metal detector.

I love the ice chips idea and will try to get her used to the travel bag before we travel. I will definitely remember what kept Flip happy just in case.

So nobody had to take the puppy for a potty break during the plane ride? That sounds great. I was worried about squeezing her into that tiny airplane bathroom.

And I hope the crew lets me take her out of the bag like Misty. That sounds like a great way to fly!

nolefan, if you learn anything new in your travels in a couple weeks, I'd love to hear! I'm sure it's going to be exciting! I know I can't wait!

Thank you all!


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## Tahnee GR

You've gotten great advice  I flew home from Texas to Wisconsin with 2 puppies a few years ago, and it was great. The puppies were the hit of both airports and were very good on the plane. It was fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat.


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## sharlin

Don't forget that Southwest is now allowing smaller dogs & cats on their flight - I'm sure a puppy would qualify!!!!


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## AmbikaGR

I will chime in with everything said so far. I will stress to be sure to make your flight plans well in advance and STRESS that you will have a puppy with you on the return flight. You can not do this on-line you need to speak to a person at reservations. Some airlines have a one dog per flight allowed in the cabin. When I flew Oriana home she at first did not take well to the sherpa bag but did adjust by the time we got to the airport while driving there.
I was very lucky to have a dog lover seated next to me who insisted I take her out of the bag. The flight crew told me as long as no one complained it was ok but we would have to return her to the bag if someone said something. 
If you have not yet got a sherpa bag try ebay, that was where I got mine. I later sold it to a friend son it cost me next to nothing in the end. I lined the bottom with a couple of "wee wee pads" just in case she had an accident and she did not have a water for 2 hours before the flight.


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## Dallas Gold

My DH is a commercial airline pilot. He would never fly any dog in the belly of the plane (his choice) but flying the puppy with you in the cabin is great. The advice you've been given is wonderful. If my DH is the captain on your flight you may need to visit him in the cockpit beforehand so he can get some puppy love and kisses (from the puppy of course). He loves flying animals in the cabin. Once they even flew a siberian tiger cub from DFW to Dulles. They got the cub out and put it in first class seat to admire it.


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## amsam

Wow! A siberian tiger! That's incredible.

Thank you all for the help. I'm looking forward to the adventure and feel much more prepared! I just found out my puppy was just born two days ago so the official countdown has begun!


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## Prov31

Hi amsam, I don't have any good advice, but am curious about where you are getting your Wisconsin puppy from. There are lots of good breeders here. We have a Dichi girl, as many here do.


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## amsam

Yup! I'm getting a Dichi girl as well. She will be from Tooshie and Chance's litter. How about yours?


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## Prov31

Wonderful! That is so exciting. We have Annie, whose father is Gambler. Gambler is Tooshie's great-grandfather. So, Annie and your new puppy will be related. Annie is 7 1/2 now...still acts like a puppy though. Your girl will be beautiful! With Victor and Gambler in her lines, you can't go wrong. 

It sounds like you have family here, but, seriously, we live between the airport and Dichi's. If you need a puppy shuttle, we would be happy to help out. A trip to see all the Dichi dogs sounds like heaven.


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## amsam

Thank you for the offer, Prov31! I do have family nearby, but I really appreciate your generosity. I loved visiting Dichi Goldens and will take as many pictures as possible to share.

How fun that we will have related pups! Would that make Annie my puppy's great-aunt?


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## Prov31

Hi amsam, Annie would be a great-aunt (I think). She's great at anything she does! Such a wonderful, sweet girl. She makes us laugh all the time. We work from our home, so we get to enjoy her antics all day long. 

Getting a cute puppy would be the only reason many folks would fly to Wisconsin in February. But you get to grab her and go back to California. If you do need some extra help getting to/from the airport or to Dichi's, the offer still stands!

Here's a picture of our Annie--setting a very good example for her little niece:


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## JennaC

Hi! Sorry to re-hash an old thread, but I am flying to WI from Boston to pick up my new pup on May 4th (Friday). The puppy was born March 10th (Saturday), so I think technically he will be one day shy of exactly 8 weeks. Does anyone know if they actually counted weeks, or did the airlines just need a 'health certificate'? Thanks for your responses. I am soooo excited!!!


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## AmbikaGR

It has been my experience that they do not count days or weeks, just want a health certificate.
And CONGRATS on the new upcoming pup!!!:wave:


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## goldhaven

I don't think that the dogs need a health certificate unless they are flying internationally. I flew one internationally and needed lots of paperwork and a special ISO microchip. The pup that I flew within the US went from Georgia to Maine and I didn't need anything except to make reservations and pay an extra fee with the airlines. 
When you make your airline reservations tell the airline that you will be bringing a puppy back. They will tell you what you need.


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## AmbikaGR

goldhaven said:


> I don't think that the dogs need a health certificate unless they are flying internationally. I flew one internationally and needed lots of paperwork and a special ISO microchip. The pup that I flew within the US went from Georgia to Maine and I didn't need anything except to make reservations and pay an extra fee with the airlines.
> When you make your airline reservations tell the airline that you will be bringing a puppy back. They will tell you what you need.



Actually they do NEED a health certificate but many times you are not asked for it. Not worth the chance in my opinion.
And yes definitely tell the airline you are bringing back a pup. They all have different rules and many will allow only one pup in the cabin on a flight. Plus there is also a charge for this.


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## KiwiD

Just a heads up for you JennaC...if you happen to be flying on a smaller plane don't sit in a window seat as the curve of the wall in those seats makes it a tighter fit for a sherpa bag. We flew Kiwi home from Minneapolis to Canada on Delta in September and we made sure we had an aisle seat and the bag fit comfortably. Can't remember the kind of plane it was (CRJ maybe?)but it only had 12 rows or so with 2 seats on each side.

We flew our pup over the border and no one at the Minneapolis airport nor our arriving airport in Canada even asked for any of my paperwork, even after I offered to show it to them they didn't look at it. In Minneapolis they were just looking for my pet in cabin fee and in Canada all customs were concerned about was that I paid my applicable taxes on the purchase price of the dog.


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## goldhaven

Just pullePet Travel Options

Just pulled this off the Delta website. This says must be 8 weeks. I did ship a pup at 7 weeks through delta and the never questioned me. I am not sure about the other airlines.


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## Sally's Mom

Yes, dogs need health certificates to fly. Technically, when I write a health certificate, it is good for thirty days. However, when you are flying, the certificates are only good for ten days. I used to fly my rescue beagle all of the time when I was in vet school from Logan to Philly. Never once did they ask me for my health certificate, but I always had one.


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## Dallas Gold

Sally's Mom said:


> Yes, dogs need health certificates to fly. Technically, when I write a health certificate, it is good for thirty days. However, when you are flying, the certificates are only good for ten days. I used to fly my rescue beagle all of the time when I was in vet school from Logan to Philly. Never once did they ask me for my health certificate, but I always had one.


Will breeders typically get health certificates for puppy parents that will be flying up to get the puppy (with reimbursement from the new owners) or is this something the new puppy owner must take care of once they get the puppy from the breeder? I'm thinking ahead here....:crossfing

Also, what size sherpa bag should we be looking at for an 8 week old puppy?


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## goldhaven

Dallas Gold said:


> Will breeders typically get health certificates for puppy parents that will be flying up to get the puppy (with reimbursement from the new owners) or is this something the new puppy owner must take care of once they get the puppy from the breeder? I'm thinking ahead here....:crossfing
> 
> Not sure what you are asking here. The puppy parents don't need health certificates if they are not flying. As far as health clearances, this should have been done before the dogs were bred and you should ask to see copies before you go to pick up your puppy and get copies when you go to pick up your puppy.
> 
> Also, what size sherpa bag should we be looking at for an 8 week old puppy?


Check with the airline that you will be traveling. They have restrictions on the sizes and then you can decide which to get.


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## AmbikaGR

Dallas Gold said:


> Will breeders typically get health certificates for puppy parents that will be flying up to get the puppy (with reimbursement from the new owners) or is this something the new puppy owner must take care of once they get the puppy from the breeder? I'm thinking ahead here....:crossfing
> 
> Also, what size sherpa bag should we be looking at for an 8 week old puppy?



I believe by puppy parents they are referring to the breeders, not the dogs. 
And yes the breeder should have no problem obtaining the health certificate for you. At least that is the way it has occurred in my dealings.


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## goldhaven

AmbikaGR said:


> I believe by puppy parents they are referring to the breeders, not the dogs.
> And yes the breeder should have no problem obtaining the health certificate for you. At least that is the way it has occurred in my dealings.


:doh:duh. 

Make sure that the breeder knows that you will be flying with the dog and NEED a health certificate. The breeder will have to get it from the vet and some vets charges extra for that.


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## oakleysmommy

Health Certs are to be within 10 days of flying the puppy. Yes you need a health cert i just had a dane pup flown to florida from Michigan..


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## golden_eclipse

We always get health certificates for all of our puppies, our vet includes it in the litter visit. Although I have seen breeders charge like $50 for this, which I don't understand. But I would at least inform them of the health certificate as a reminder, but if they are at all experienced they'll know if you are flying the puppy home, you'll need one.


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## Dallas Gold

AmbikaGR said:


> I believe by puppy parents they are referring to the breeders, not the dogs.
> And yes the breeder should have no problem obtaining the health certificate for you. At least that is the way it has occurred in my dealings.


Oops, that didn't come out exactly like I was thinking it in my head--health certificate for the puppy, not the breeder or the purchasers.  

It's my understanding that health certificates can be required for crossing state lines by motor vehicle--depending on state health regulations. I guess it could come into play if you are pulled over for a traffic violation and the law enforcement officer asks to see it. I'm not sure most officials want to be bothered about that unless they really want to "make" your day.


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## SWGoldenmom

We just flew Sierra home in February on U. S. Air. They allow up to 6 animals in cabin, but effective January 1st, they take no reservations for the animal....it's first come, first served. There was a cost of $125.00 one way for putting her in a Sherpa under the seat in front of me. We did have to have our breeder obtain a health certificate from her vet (at our cost of $40.00), but it was never requested at the airport. The various airlines have instructions on the dimension of the Sherpa bag on their various websites, depending on what kind of aircraft you will be on.


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## JennaC

Thank you everyone for your responses. This has been so helpful! I am sooo excited about my puppy  The next 7 weeks are going to be soo slow!


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## pixyia

Thank you everyone for sharing the experience. Hopefully we are going to pick up our next pup Mid Nov or early Dec. 

I am wondering for the big day picking the puppy up, do we also need to rent a car drive to the breeder pick the puppy up, or the breeder will help us send the puppy to the airport? 




Should we rent a car drive to breeder or just ask a favor from breeder meet us up in the airport.


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## Dallas Gold

Talk to your breeder. It may be the breeder is meeting other puppy people and it would inconvenience them. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## nolefan

pixyia said:


> Thank you everyone for sharing the experience. Hopefully we are going to pick up our next pup Mid Nov or early Dec.
> 
> I am wondering for the big day picking the puppy up, do we also need to rent a car drive to the breeder pick the puppy up, or the breeder will help us send the puppy to the airport?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Should we rent a car drive to breeder or just ask a favor from breeder meet us up in the airport.


You will want to visit the breeder at her home and be sure you get to meet the mother dog as well as the breeder, see first hand the conditions where your puppy has been raised. It also is more relaxing and friendly and give you more of an opportunity to develop your relationship with your breeder. He or she will be a great source of support and knowledge if you will foster the relationship. It is worth the extra time and money I promise you.

Also, while I'm thinking of it, it's unlikely but there are always occasions where your puppy could become car sick or have an upset stomach before you arrive home. In addition to bringing plastic bags and baby wipes for any clean up you may also want to consider putting an extra shirt in your backpack in case the worst happens. You will be a lot happier in a clean shirt if there is a big explosion


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## pixyia

Thank you for the advice! I will take ask our breeder and find out if we have the honor to spend some time with them.


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## polly1112

Hi, I am planning to pick up my puppy in a few weeks by plane when she will be about 8 weeks old. Apparently she won't be able to get her rabies shot for a few more months, but she is required to have it to fly. How did you all get around this, or did your puppy have this shot before you picked her up?


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## ArchersMom

polly1112 said:


> Hi, I am planning to pick up my puppy in a few weeks by plane when she will be about 8 weeks old. Apparently she won't be able to get her rabies shot for a few more months, but she is required to have it to fly. How did you all get around this, or did your puppy have this shot before you picked her up?


Are you flying internationally? She doesn't need rabies if you're flying within the US.


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## Sweet Girl

If you are doing Canada to US, you have to get a waiver. There are new CDC rules. Alphadude just did it recently. He can probably give you some guidance.


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## beebadger

I know it's been about 11 years since you got your puppy and wrote this, Amsam, but I just stumbled across this thread. I hope Colby is still alive and well. My husband and I are Tooshie's parents! I've always been curious about her puppies. She was only able to have one litter. We adopted her when she was 3 1/2 and she's slowing down at 12, but doing well.


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