Dog On A 10 Hour Flight: How To Bring Your Dog Across The World

Traveling with dogs on a flight is quite a difficult job. Even all dogs are not allowed to travel with you on a flight. But if you’ve already decided to travel with your dog then few things and precautions you might consider prior.

In this article, we will share our experiences with you to tackle all the obstacles that you might face while you’re traveling with your furry pal. We will discuss how you can manage your dog on a 10 hour flight so that you will be prepared to take care of your dog for a long flight or even for a short trip.

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It’s quite stressful to travel with a dog if you don’t know how to handle your pup on a plane journey. We frequently travel with our dogs so we checked a lot on the internet and asked travelers who travel with their dogs. Unfortunately, it’s quite disappointing that we did not get any satisfactory answer to our query.

But we’ve found and experienced some real-life obstacles that dog owners usually face but do not discuss. Read this article where you will see how we tackled our dog on a 10 hour flight journey. We hope this will help you on your next adventure with your four-legged friend.

The first thing well will discuss that how you can prepare yourself to travel with your dog on a 10 hour flight. We’ve shared the 10 hours time duration so that you can easily tackle your dog on a long-distance flight.

How to prepare dogs for a long flight?

Everybody knows how stressful it is to fly for a dog on an international trip. We have gone through some issues while we traveled with our dog for 10 hours.

We don’t want any dog owners to go through the same difficulties that we’ve gone through so we have shared some tips so that you can prepare your dog in advance.

If you have not traveled with your dog on a flight before, this is gonna be a new adventure for you. So to get a smooth journey you must go through this article so that you can prepare your dog for a long light.

Check the list of dogs that are allowed on flights

Yes, you read it right. You will get a checklist on the flight where you can see whether you can take your dog with you or not.

According to your dog’s breed flight companies have made their list. Few dog breeds whose noses are snub find it difficult to breathe in flight which leads to severe respiratory problems. That‘s why many flight companies don’t allow some specific dog breeds for international trips. So it is always better to check the list before you plan a trip with your dog.

Check with airlines:

Not all airline companies allow all breeds of dogs. Most of them only allow small dogs. Even you may find it difficult to travel with a large size dog on a flight. You will not get extra space where you can keep your dog. You need to carry your own dog carrier.

You can only keep that dog carrier under your seat. Maximum airline companies allow dogs to weigh 20lbs. So check dog flight policies from the airlines in advance for a hassle-free journey. 

Reserve a place prior:

Some airlines only allow a limited number of dogs on flights. If you are willing to take your furry pal with you on the next trip then you might need to reserve a place for your dog in advance. If your dog matches their criteria then only they will make the reservation for your dog. Again you will not get any allocated seat for your dog. You have to carry the dog carrier or pet box with you. Some other things you may need to carry for your dog so reserve a place for your dog.

Select the right carrier:

As we’ve mentioned already that you will have to carry your dog carrier. So make sure that your dog can move or rotate its limbs easily. International flights take up to 14 hours to complete the journey so if your dog doesn’t have enough space to move inside the crate then it might get irritated and started barking.

Another thing we must mention here, you should train your dog to be in a carrier for a long time. All of a sudden if you keep your dog in a crate for a 10-hour long flight it might happen your dog will become grumpy. All you can do is start keeping your dog in a crate at night for a couple of weeks. So your pet will become habituated and will not act weird on long flights.

Carry a pee pad with you:

If you want your dog to be in manners during flight make sure your dog has done their pee and poop before the flight departures. Unwanted things happen, but to avoid the unwanted things you must carry a pee pad with you. If you see that your dog is about to pee or poop take them to the washroom and make them wear pee pads.

Consult with your veterinarian:

Whenever you want to take your dog with you on a flight make sure you get all the medical certifications from your veterinarian. As you need to show these certificates several times before you board the plane with your dog.

Get a “Rabbis free certificate” from your veterinarian. This is the must-have certificate when you travel with your dog.

Carry medicine:

It’s not a regular case that we travel on flights with our dogs. So our dogs are not habituated to the ambiance. It might happen that due to a high altitude your dog may go through bellyache or other health issues.

It is suggested to carry basic medicine for your dog. It is always better to consult with your veteran about this issue. We were given a dog sedative from our veterinarian when we discussed our trip with him. It is quite an effective pill we must say. During our journey, the plane fell into the air whole for several times and our dog started growling at the time. So we gave him a dose of sedative to make him calm down. It worked very well. Our pal didn’t bark for the rest of the time during the flight.

Carry food and water:

You might be thinking that your dog will be given food by the airlines. Let us tell you that we had the same concept in mind. So we did not carry any food for our dogs with us. We thought that the airline we are traveling with give food to our dogs but unfortunately they didn’t. It was a difficult time for us.

But thanks to a co-passenger who was also traveling with his dog on the same flight. He shared food with our dogs. We took our dog to a specific place to feed it as it was not allowed to feed the dog in the main cabin.  So, by the next time you travel with your furry pal do not forget to carry some dry dog foods with you.

Carry a collapsible bag:

If you have a question in mind that what should I carry on long flight journey that may last 10 hours then we would suggest a single thing without any second thought is a collapsible bag. Carry a collapsible bag with you while you’re traveling with your dog on a flight. Use this collapsible bag to put food in it. These bags don’t occupy a lot of places and can be fit into a crate easily. The interesting part about this bag is you can use it for multi-purpose.

Put some entertainment in the crate:

We’ve often seen a question on the internet “how to keep a dog calm during a long flight?” If you’re going on a trip that may take around a 10 to 14 hours journey on the flight make sure you keep some toys in the crate so that your dog remains calm on a long-duration flight. As you won’t be able to play with your dog, he/she might get bored on the long haul flight. So keep some toys inside the crate that may entertain your furry pal on this long journey.

Get labels of the live animal:

Do not miss taking labels for your dog crate. Every airline that allows you to carry your dog with you gives some labeling sticker for your dog’s crate. It shows that you’re carrying an alive animal with you so they will guide you with extra care.

Attach a description paper:

Whenever you carry your dog with you on a flight make sure you attach a paper on the crate with a proper description of your dog and yourself. In case you forget to take your crate with you at that time, this will help you a lot to find it back.

Keep your dog agile before the departure:

This is a great trick to make your dog asleep during the flight. We tried this trick and it worked for us. Our veterinarian suggested keeping our dog busy and agile so that it will burn all of its energy before the flight. We did this with our dog. When the flights departed we saw that our dog was sleeping in its carriage peacefully.

Do not check your dog every minute:

When we check our dog continuously without any reason it starts panicking. So it is always suggested not to check your dog every single minute. We were suggested not to check our dog by one of the crews on the plane. The more you look at it, your dog starts thinking of something unusual and behaves weirdly.

Carry a Rope leash:

Whether your dog is an anxious one or a calm one, you must carry a leash with you when you’re traveling with your dog on a flight. Although you’re not allowed to leave your dog walking on its own, if there is an emergency then only your dog can walk down on the plane. So at that time, a leash will play an important role to keep your dog in manner.

Train your dog not to growl:

We’ve seen that often dogs growl at nothing. You don’t want your dog to do this right? To avoid these kinds of unusual weird acts you have to train your dog in advance. There are many tricks to stop your growling dogs. Learn those and apply this to your dog.

Reach the airport before the departure time:

As airports remain crowded all the time. All of a sudden if you take your dog to the airport in a rush your dog might get confused and start barking out of excitement. It is suggested to get your dog accustomed to the crowdy ambiance first. Once she starts feeling okay at the airport it will be easier to tackle him inside the flight.

Get a departure map in your hand:

It is obvious that after a long 10-hour or maybe14 hours flight journey your dog will not be in a good mood. So always get an exit road map so that you can free your dog from the carriage as soon as possible.

Take your dog for a walk:

After reaching the destined place or hotel take your dog for a short 5-minute walk. After all your pal was in a crate and couldn’t move its limbs. It is essential for their mood and their health as well.

It might be stressful to travel with a dog on a 10 hour flight journey. But for all the dog owners it’s quite an achievement to carry their dog with them on a trip. It is always awesome being accompanied by a dog. You will not feel lonely. Your furry pal always will be there in every circumstance.

It is quite okay to travel with a dog for 4 to 5 hours but when it’s about 10 to 14 hours it becomes tougher. We have shared some sorted experiences with you so you will feel more comfortable by following these above-mentioned things while you’re in flight with your dog.

Read Next:

• Does Flying Hurt Dogs’ Ears?
• How to Go for a Long Car Ride with Your Puppy

FAQs: Dog on a 10 Hour Flight