Please share your experiences flying with your yorkie

[michiko]

So the holiday season is almost there. I am planning to watch my friend's dog for the holidays. Since she has two dogs, she will travel with one to her home, and I will watch my favorite yorkie. So As of now, I don't have any traveling plan, but I am thinking about flying to CA or somewhere for the holiday. So Guinness, the yorkie, has never been on the plane before. I am not sure if he would cry...

Please share your experience with your yorkie... good and bad experiences.....

[alaskayorkie]

Good question, Michiko! I'd be interested in what others say.

Boston to California is a long haul for a Yorkie. We just did it, and it was our worst flying experience yet. The main problem is airports. There's nowhere to let the little guy pee without leaving the grounds and having to go back through security. If you only have an hour and a half layover, there's no time to get him outside. Eddie did fine for the first stretch, but he was covered in pee after the last 4-hour stretch. We felt so bad.

My recommendation would be to schedule a longer layover, 3-4 hours so you can leave the building, let him pee and get back in through security before your flight leaves.

Next question is one I've been meaning to ask YTers: Our vet gave us a mild sedative that we used. I wasn't real pleased with having to do that, and I don't think it did any good. He was still real whiny for the first hour of the flight. And his glassy eyes were so sad it made me think it was a mistake. I don't think I'll use a sedative again.

You're going to be real tempted to let the pup out on your lap, but flight attendants are pretty strict about this. They demand you keep him in his carrier and under the seat.

I read an article that said it's a good idea to get your Yorkie accustomed to his carrier before the flight, and that made sense to me. Maybe place him in there during a couple short car rides and see how he does.

If anyone has had a better experience flying, I'd love to know what you did.

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

By law (FAA rules) they have to be in their carrier on take off and landing only so if you know this and they try to tell you it is also the law for the duration of the flight you at least know that this is simply an "airline policy" and you are not breaking any law when you take them out and hide them under a banket or whatever.

Mine are pad trained so I carry pads with me and I take them into the restrooms in the airport to pee in between flights.

I would not use a sedative (except maybe a homeopathic one) on my dog. I just don't think drugs are the answer.

It is good to have treats and things that are his favorite and will keep him occupied for a long time like bully sticks and greenies maybe if you can get the greenie away when it gets too small and might be swallowed.

Good luck.

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by SoCalyorkiLvr

By law (FAA rules) they have to be in their carrier on take off and landing only so if you know this and they try to tell you it is also the law for the duration of the flight you at least know that this is simply an "airline policy" and you are not breaking any law when you take them out and hide them under a banket or whatever.

Mine are pad trained so I carry pads with me and I take them into the restrooms in the airport to pee in between flights.

I would not use a sedative (except maybe a homeopathic one) on my dog. I just don't think drugs are the answer.

It is good to have treats and things that are his favorite and will keep him occupied for a long time like bully sticks and greenies maybe if you can get the greenie away when it gets too small and might be swallowed.

Good luck.

That's real interesting, SoCal. Especially the FAA rules. I'm going to look into that before we fly again. Letting them sit on your lap would make the whole experience a lot more tolerable.

And thanks for the advice on meds.

[michiko]

This is good information!

I was actually planning to fly direct to California. I am not sure if I will go to California but that is where my most destination is for my vacation. There are a couple direct flights over there and I probably fly at night time.... Do you think it would be too long the flight? It's 6-7 hrs.. flights... yeah...it sounds too long....

Guinness usually doesn't go to bathroom between 11 p to 8:30 a though or a little longer.

[RowdysMom]

My mom flew a few years ago with her dog and on the flight out, the attendant let mom take out the dog, but on the way back when mom took the dog out after take off, a different attendant made her put him back, saying that he couldn't be out because someone sitting near might be allergic to dogs.

[amspoelstra]

Great info. I am probably going to fly with my yorkie overseas one of these days. I'm worried, because it is an 8 hour flight straight, that's without checkin times. Trixie is fully housetrained and does not want to go on a peepad. Should I consider the little diapers???

[michiko]

ya!..International flights too... could be really long..... what could we do in the situation!

[Hickey007]

If you go at night the attendants tend to leave you alone more, or at least this has always been my experience. Plus a later flight would be more so around the pups bedtime. I've heard of several people just hiding the pup under their blanket without the attendant even knowing. Hey what's the worst that could happen if they found out? They would just make you put him up, its not like they can kick you off or anything. It may be a good idea to get a small blanket that you use at home or start using one and take it to cover up with. I know that sometimes they give you blankets, but sometimes they don't plus if you took your own it would smell familar to the pup, like you and your home.

It may also be good to just stick a pee pad in the bottom of the carrier just in case and take a ziplock baggie to stick it in if any accidents occur that way you can zip away the pee smell.

You could also go get a him a new toy or take away his favorite toy for a little while before the trip (preferable quite toys) then give it to him during the trip. This way he will be so excited about a new toy or an old one that he's missed that it may occupy a lot of the time. I've also heard of people letting them suck on ice to pop their ears and just for a quick drink.

[alaskayorkie]

I forgot there are direct flights from Boston to California, so that does make a difference, Michiko. You'd probably be OK if you follow some of the advice on this thread. Now that I think about it, we flew from Boston to Anchorage, which was even longer. I can't remember the specifics, but I think Eddie went 11 hours without peeing and had his accident in the last 3 hours. That was too long. I think you'll be OK, just be prepared for some whining. And if you try hickey007's idea -- which I think is great -- just be careful you don't fall asleep. A YT member told me that's what happened to her, and her little guy went on a walkabout. The flight attendant was NOT happy with that. Personally, I think loose Yorkies on a flight would be a good way to cut the anxiety!

[Cookie2]

Cookie is pee pad trained, however he will not pee if I take out the pee pad in a really strange place like the Airport. What I plan to do and maybe this may help you. I'm buying him a nice belly band from GWlittle. I'm going to put the belly band on him for the duration of the flight which is 2 1/2 hrs.That way he will be dry when we arrive. If he does poop in his carrier, I can easily take it out during the flight. Make sure you buy an airline approved carrier. Most airlines approve carriers that are not bigger than :
18"L 12"W 8"H
If it's a soft top carrier that measures 9-10" ,most times they let you pass since you can still fit it under your seat.I just got one at Tinkerbellscloset that I love .

Genie

[JCarlson2004]

I have flown with my dogs and have no problems at all. My hubby and I are flying to Idaho to visit his parents in December and staying a little over 1 week. And (of course) we're brining our 2 babies with us. On the plane, I usually sneak them out of their carrier and hide them under a blanket. I would recommend bringing some Nutrical with you and occassionally giving your dog a little bit. I also brought a small toy and put it in their carrier -- although they basically slept the majority of the time.

[spydergurl]

I've taken Chewy on quite a few flights....from Cal to NJ and back again.
And once we went to NY instead of NJ.
The Vet gave me a mild sedative to give her, but I don't think she needed it. The plane ride made her sleepy anyway. I just used that once and never again.
Very important.........get the seat by an exit...ask ahead of time. That way you'll have lots of leg room and can put her in front of you or on the seat if no one is there. Most times, I kept her on my lap under the blanket, or on the seat next to me under the blanket. Just be cool and don't flaunt it and you can get away with anything. hehe
Also, ask for the leat popular flight, so there's not many people and you can have an empty seat next to you.
And, make sure you get at least one stopover (a couple of hours would be great) so you can get off and take her out and stretch. I always got off and took her outside where there was grass, and we would stay there or walk around till the flight was ready to go. And when I say stopover, if you can get a change of planes, that is better yet, because then there will be a good stopover..

Usually people are really nice to you and want to see your baby. In the terminals, I always took her out and carried her (make sure you're not carrying bags.....always check them in). When I sat down in the terminal, I took her out and let her walk around. I always went to a gate that was not populated, and sat way in the corner where not many people could see me.

[Toby'sMama]

Toby has been across country several times... We fly a lot from Los Angeles to Tampa. My vet's are always asking how many miles he has. I always make sure he has the health certificate, although I've never been asked for it. As far as taking him out -- there was one flight when the flight attendant told me I could take him out... but most of them always say they have to be in the carrier, under the seat. I learned very early, that he needs to be clipped into the carrier. He was about 8 months old and managed to "dig" the zippers open and went on a little exploratory trip of the plane. I woke up to the flight attendant announcing over the loud speaker "If anyone has lost a small dog -- please ring your flight attendant button." Sure enough, when I looked down -- Toby was nowhere to be seen. After ringing my button, here walks the attendant from the front of the plane -- Toby proudly sitting up on her shoulder, looking like he owned the place. Since then, he's always clipped in, but I find if I unzip the bag, he will settle down and sleep most of the way. Some of the attendants are cool, but there are others who are just nasty when they see him -- and are sure to "remind" me that he needs to stay in the bag.

[JCarlson2004]

What I usually do is take my dogs to the bathroom on the plane and put their wee wee pad down on the floor. Then I let them out for a few minutes to stretch their legs and go pee pee. Just keep in mind that airplane bathrooms are EXTREMELY tiny and often stink. But at least they get to stretch for a few minutes and go potty if it's an emergency. Also, I put a wee wee pad down on the bottom of their carrier JUST IN CASE of an accident.