Thread: Preparing puppy for international flight

In October I am bringing a puppy from France to the US. He will be around 12 weeks old. He will be on a direct flight (8-9 hours) followed by a 4-5 hour car ride before reaching his new home. My concern is the flight experience (as cargo) will induce fear.

I hope to have at least three days with him prior to the flight. Is there anything I should or should not do to to keep the dog from becoming overly anxious or fearful during his journey?

That is a very long flight for a puppy to endure, and you are wise to be concerned, as it will cause the dog to be fearful and axious...not a surprise. Sedatives from the vet are not recommended, because they can impair breathing...however, I would visit a vet for a complete check-up and personal recommendations.

Taking the puppy for car rides can get him used to being in a vehicle with movement. Feeding very lightly on the day of travel is recommended. Here's some advice on plane travel...http://www.ehow.com/how_4518849_ship-puppy-plane.html.

It's mandatory that the cargo area is temperature controlled, especially in the month of October, where weather can be very cold and unsettled. Also, a 9 hour flight is an extremely long time for the dog to be able to control his urine and bowel movements. Can this dog be flown in the plane in any way, aside from cargo?

Will you be on the same plane with the pup in cargo? Are you the one who drives him in the car? The plane flight will be the most disturbing to the dog, if he has some time between the flight and the car ride, he will do better, and probably sleep in the car from all the excitement.

I've only had a pupply shipped to me on a very short flight, and he was frightened upon arrival. We were very gentle with him, and he soon was able to relax and gain confidence with his new owners.

Hoping there's an option to your pup other than cargo for such a long trip. Happy to see that you're concerned about your dog's well-being. BTW, welcome to the forums!

Alpha1,
Thank you for your reply. I thought booking a direct flight would be better for the pup than a, "multi-stop, multi-on/off planes, sitting in cargo areas during layovers" routing. I keep reading that people ship dogs internationally all the time, but so far no one has explained it for a puppy. According to KLM, the dog will be in a "ventilated area". Again, I thought that would be better than stuffing him under the seat, and not being able to let him out. The other option is to consider a pet transport ($$$) service, but I don't know how much better they are. Anyone know? Do these services just put the animal in the same compartment they'd be in if you sent them? Or do they have their own planes refitted for transporting animals. I think one company has a person accompany the animal the entire way-which means I'd pay their airfare as well.

The only other solution is I move to France. While tempting, not sure my family would agree. I will continuing asking and researching.