Tips for transporting a chow puppy on a plane?

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StanfordChow
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Tips for transporting a chow puppy on a plane?

Post by StanfordChow »

Hey y’all,

I’m new to the forum and a first time chow owner. I go to pick up my puppy next month, and he will be exactly 8 weeks old. The flight home is a total of 6 hours in the air: 2 hour flight, 1 hour layover, and then 4 hour flight. I’m a little worried about a little bit of everything. I’ve never traveled with a pet on a plane, and I’m periodically worrying that when he is 8 weeks old, he simply won’t fit under the seat.

I’m flying with American Airlines, and he’ll be in a soft sided carrier, 17inLx10inWx11inH. I’ve packed puppy potty pads, edible chew toys, non-edible chew toys, leash/collar/harness, interactive toys, treats, and puppy wipes. The breeder is meeting me at the airport about 4 hours before our flight leaves because I wanted time to bond with him and get him used to the carrier rather than just stuffing him inside of it.

Things I’m most worried about include the following:
- He will almost certainly pee (at least) on the four hour flight, and you’re supposed to leave pets under the seat at all times.
- Can he go like 10 hours without food when he is so young? I’d really hate to subject my plane neighbors to the smell of puppy poop.
- How often should I give him water? I don’t want him to pee, but I also don’t want him to be dehydrated.
- Will some ignorant person tell me I can’t take a chow in the cabin because they’re not allowed in cargo?
- Will the flight attendants let me take him to the bathroom to swap potty pads in the bottom of the carrier?

Has anyone traveled on a plane with a chow puppy before?

Also, please don’t suggest that I drive, because I would if it were an option. He is 2200 miles away, which would be 33 hours of driving.
StanfordChow
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Re: Tips for transporting a chow puppy on a plane?

Post by StanfordChow »

I’m posting an update for just in case anyone else is in my situation in the future.

This has nothing to do with flying, but I was really surprised by how easy it was to get him in his harness, and he adapted to the leash very quickly. He seems like he will be an easy dog to have, but we’re still going to work on training :) It was also very easy to put him in his carrier, and he immediately loved the bully stick and turkey tendon chews I gave him to distract him while adjusting the harness or to coax him into his carrier.

Okay, now for the part relevant to flying. First off, my puppy was an absolute celebrity. Everyone commented on how cute he is and how much he looks like a little teddy bear. One guy was even bold enough to ask to pet my puppy (I let him). I had to check in with a person so that they could weigh him and his carrier, which was about 13 pounds total. That’s also when I paid the fee for traveling with a pet, which was $125.

At first he didn’t like the carrier and made a bit of a scene, but he got used to it. Walking him around in the carrier seemed to help for some reason. I ended up taking him back outside a few times before we went through security and one extra time where we had to go back through security. Because the first flight was going to be pretty short (about two hours), I gave him a little food and water on the extra trip. He pooped earlier that morning, and he peed twice (once when he pooped, and once when we went back out). I was very worried about “what if he poops on the plane,” which is why I mention all of this, lol.

Unfortunately, our flight got delayed. I took him to the regular bathroom and tried to get him to go on a pee pad before the flight, but he didn’t. It was delayed about an hour. We finally got on our first flight, and by the time we boarded, he was sound asleep. It was adorable. He woke up a few times during the flight, and I stuck my hand inside his carrier to pet him a few times. But overall it was a pretty smooth experience. At some point during the first flight, I realized that my foot was warm. They had turned on the heat, I guess? So I pulled him out from under the seat in front of me and lifted my legs up so he wouldn’t be too hot. All total he held his pee/poop for about 3-3.5 hours on this keg of the journey.

Because the first flight got delayed, we missed our connection, so we had to catch another flight the rest of the way home. This was really annoying because I couldn’t check in on my phone. I went to customer service, which was closed, and then I went to my gate where the new flight would be departing from. At the gate I explained that my flight was delayed, and I couldn’t check in on my phone because I’m traveling with a pet. The man took my ID and then gave it back to me with a boarding pass. I gave him water and a little bit of food. I’m not entirely convinced that public pet relief areas are parvo town, so we used one during the layover. It was a little annoying because I was in a hurry and someone else’s dog (who he already gone) was distracting my puppy. But he eventually peed. No poop. We also stopped by a family restroom so I could use it and he could stretch his legs and play a bit in an area that didn’t smell gross.

Then we caught the 4-hour flight. He was in his carrier for the flight and about 20-30 minutes on both sides. Miraculously he did not pee or poop during the flight. He whined a little off and on, but after we got to altitude I took him out from under the seat and put him in the empty middle seat and even in my lap. I unzipped his carrier and would pet him or hold a chew for him. No one told me to put him back, so I didn’t. Once we got off the plane, he peed. When we got home (about 30 more minutes), he peed and pooped and was a little interested in food.

All in all, my puppy was the easiest thing about the trip.
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