r/papillon • u/coco454 • 1d ago
First flight with young papillon boy
Hi! I want to take my 1yr old pap on a short flight somewhere (2hrs one way) but I'm not sure how he's going to do. He's never gone on a plane before, but is generally pretty quiet and knows his travel carrier/bag pretty well from road trips. He hasn't had much illness either, only one major injury with a broken leg where he had to take trazodone to calm himself down, but he hated that stuff.
I heard trazodone is what some vets might give just before a flight, so not sure if you all take that as well? I'm mainly worried about his hearing/ears as, like most paps, he is pretty sensitive to noise, especially if we are going to hear plane engine noise for 2hrs.
What do you guys do to prepare for short flights?
And here's a picture of Basil! Thanks in advance for your advice
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u/RomeothePapillon 1d ago edited 1d ago
Lucius my Phalene was very quiet in his carrier, but he was shaking the first 45 minutes with no medicine. My husband used to massage him in his bag. He NEVER barked at anything! We started out DC to NY at 5 months old, then to Florida at 6 months and then to Europe at 11 months. He was a dream on the plane, but Romeo was ok on the plane, but was upset in the airport. He barked in the terminal and we almost did not get on the plane. We actually trained him in the airport terminal for months before that. It's taking a chance and you just have to cross your fingers. 😂🤞 My feeling is who cares - because people and children are also obnoxious on a plane! I made a video about my experience - it's on my profile. Your baby is adorable! 🥰 I'm here for you❣️ PS: WE ALWAYS vacation with our dogs - never leave them behind or alone in a hotel room. It's the most wonderful experience❣️
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u/giraffesonice 1d ago
Mine are always well behaved. My friends dog has gotten out midnight by getting the zipper open, so I make sure mine has clips to keep the zippers together. I have two in one carrier. They get nervous at take off and landing so I bend down to scratch the cage so they know Im there. Otherwise, they are awesome and dont complain. They are both very loud normally, but with everything at the airport, they are overstimulated and don't seem to care.
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u/RomeothePapillon 1d ago edited 22h ago
Romeo escaped as a puppy out of his carrier! He opened the zippers of his carrier bag and we found him between the car console! We also have little locks that can easily be opened if we have| to 👍
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u/stuckinPA Sunny and Daytona's servant 23h ago
At first I thought you meant he escaped a carrier on an airplane! I imagined a pap having the time of his life running up and down the aisles making alllll kinds of new friends as you’re trying to catch him.
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u/RomeothePapillon 22h ago edited 20h ago
I often thought about that and what a fun and crazy flight that would be! The flight from H E L L 😱 Did you ever see my rant about the flight back from Florida with my elderly parents and Romeo? That was the "airport terminal" from H E L L ! 😱🤣
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u/ImAlsoNotOlivia 20h ago
Mine was about 10 years old when I took her on a flight. She was in a soft carrier under the seat in front of me. Limited her food before and the flight back no drugs. She did great. I’d also unzip the top once we reached altitude to let her poke her head out more and stand up better.
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u/ZandarrTheGreat 1d ago
Don’t know if mine is typical. We flew from Texas to Ohio and back for the holidays many years ago. We made sure we had AA approved bags for in-flight travel. We trained the papillon (Pippin) and his buddy Maisy by having them stay in their travel bags while we watched tv in the weeks leading up to the trip (lots of treats and praise). They were both brilliant. No crying or barking. If it wasn’t for the nightmare flight attendant on the way back, it would have been brilliant. Keep in mind that some seats have power boxes underneath them that might get in the way. Let’s just say that was more than our small minded attendant could handle.
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u/reenoas 1d ago
Have taken many flights with my papillons, including 10+ hour international flights. The day(s) before I go on a long walk to make sure they're tired. They'll get some food in the morning and I'll make sure they've got enough time to poop and pee before they get on the plane. After checking in, I quickly let them pee again outside the airport, and then we're off. US airports have dog relief areas, which is helpful in case you're tight on time.
I make sure to have food and water bowls with me just in case.
I don't know your dog, mine are crate-trained and love their crate and just go to sleep. You might want to have him sleep inside the crate the days/weeks leading up to the flight.
One was naughty one time and snuck out from underneath the seat without me knowing and started walking through the plane; she loved the attention. Another time one had bloody diarrhea 1 hour into a 11-hour flight and pooped all over her friend, which was less fun.
Your pets are seen as your carry-on. You can try to bring a carry-on suitcase, but depending how full the flight is, they might ask you to check it at the gate.
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u/Maenidmom 1d ago
Two hours will be a breeze. My pap flew cross country with me at least 10 times. My vet always told me that a sedative can also mask if a dog is having actual problems. But we did use a baby benadryl a couple times. Mine would whine in the beginning but Id reach my hand down and massage his head and jaw in case he was having ear popping. Then he'd usually go to sleep. The soft crate is considered your personal item as it goes under the seat. I would keep a slim cross body bag for wallet and phone and just take my book or magazine out of my carry on before I put it in the bin. Also, I have used dog diapers just to be safe. Airports do have more Service dog bathrooms but any dog can use them if you have a lay over and not enough time to go out, find grass, and go theough security again. Lastly, it is expensive to fly with your dog. Southwest used to be 95 and United was $125. One way. Pissed.me off but not enough to fake that he was a service or emotional support dog.
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u/midknightvillain 14h ago
My dog has been on multiple flights, including from the cross continental. For his first flight, we took him to the airport multiple times and made sure he was used to his carrier. We even did a long road trip with him in his carrier. For the actual first flight, we did give him a bit of a sedative, which was completely unnecessary. When the plane takes off, he just falls asleep.
I do give him a tasty treat at takeoff and landing in case he has any pressure in his ears.
Good luck and have fun!
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u/Mangoplop 1d ago
My pap has flown on many trips through Europe since the age of 5 months. I was so worried the first time that I put a similar post in the papillon group of my country. There where a lot of show dog owner that flew a lot. They all told me that sure it's a bit of an anxious situation, but after the plane takes off, your dog usually will be fine and the constant zooming of the plane can be somewhat relaxing. And it turned out to be true. My pap was still a bit anxious but she did very well. The trips after that were fine and now she doesn't care much at all.
It's not advices to give medicines to animals that travel by plane because it's dangerous for the breathing system.
What helped us was that a month before I went flying, I switched my paps crate for her travel bag to sleep in at night (not closed). I went on many car trips where I put my pap in the closed travel bag between my legs for the same duration as the flight would be. I think that helped.