Hello,
I have a 8.5 month old GSD pup with a start in ringsport. She is coming along nicely, but slowly because I am a beginner. She LOVES the training. Because there are not an abundance of french ring trials, I know I will have to travel with her if we want to compete in the future.

I am taking a 5 day trip to the North West Territories and have the opportunity to bring her. We will be able to explore and relax for the five days as it is just a leisure trip. My first instinct is to leave her at home because of the potential dangers associated with flying a pet. I am considering bringing her because it is a great opportunity for her to get accustomed to flying.

I am wondering if anyone has experience taking multiple plane flights with their dog, and if the experience got easier for the dog with consecutive trips.

Jessica, I can't answer your question, but I can see you have a Corgi.

And from one Corgi (and future ringsport GSD!) owner to another, howdy! I must have missed your intro. Your pupper is adorable!

Thanks Katie Corgi's are such great little dogs with tons of spirit. My corgi is turning 11 in Jan. and is still going strong!

Aren't they great? I will always have a Corgi. It's great to hear that your gal is still going strong at her age. I bet she's got many years to come!

Hoping someone comes around to answer your question...

I have never done this, so all of my answer is theory and best guess so here it goes:

To me, flying would only get easier (meaning less stressfull in my mind) if the dog did not get to practice anxious behaviors while flying. If the dog is anxious it's first flight and each time after the anxiety builds, then I would say that "no, it would get harder for the dog to fly"....and in some cases impossible. Practicing anxious behaviors over and over again - is going to make for one unhappy travel buddy, and because you are not there to interrupt/redirect the dog, it would be very hard to manage the behaviors.

You can improve the odds of a nice flight for your dog by making sure to exercise them thoroughly and do a lot of OB just before crating them up for the airport - this way they are more likely to sleep during the flight and be too tired to react much to stressors. I have also had a friend use the "all-natural" type sedatives with very positive results while flying her schnauzer across the country with her. She used it in conjuction with exercise (lots of it) before any flights.

So with that said, you have no control over what your dog experiences once they are taken into the cargo hold. You have no control over what noises and other stimuli they are exposed to and you have no control over what people do to them.

For me, if I had no one I trusted to watch my dog while I was away, or I couldn't drive there - I don't go. It may not be that simple for some people though. I am not a "traveller" so road trips suit me just fine.

I have only had one puppy shipped to me (direct flight, 2 hours) and I was still nervous. The nice thing is, they are the "community" airline so they have enormous standards to uphold, and the breeder got to stay with her until they litterally loaded her on the plane. When my dog arrived, they loaded the crate into the cab of a truck and drove her around to the front of the airport so she wouldn't get cold going in the baggage truck to the cargo area - super nice!)

Not to say this would happen but....

My friend was bringing her pitbull down south for dental work they could not do here. Long story short, the dog flipped out and ate its way out of the kennel then attempted to eat its way out of the plane while still in the air. When she landed she was called to the cargo area, where she had to go onto the tarmac and get her bleeding from the mouth and now needing $3000 in dental work, foaming at the mouth pitbull...not a pretty sight.

Along the same lines as the part of Niomi's post where the pup FREAKED out, I have learned the hard way that the more early exposure the better.

I have had that call to come down to the tarmac to help with my dog. He did not chew his way out, but was freaking the cargo crew out and only one would approach his crate and they needed two to load him. I had to climb up on the conveyor to help get him on the plane. I am lucky we did not get booted... This is a dog that travels very well in a car and stays in hotels on a very regular basis.

Getting a young dog used to having strangers surround and carry the crate, as well as the bustle and energy at an airport should be at the top of the list for a dog that will be flying regularly as an adult. Make it a normal thing that is no big deal at all now, and you may save yourself a head ache later...

If you have the opportunity and funds, go for it...

PS, I saved a TON shipping him as carry-on instead of as cargo. Just food for thought.

 Quote: Jessica Lee

... and if the experience got easier for the dog with consecutive trips.

Not if they have to get a full body scan.

Thank-you for your input everybody. I would like to get her used of flying but I wanted to weigh the pros and cons. I think I will take her, since it is a very short plane ride and a good one for her first flight.

Since it is a leisure trip, we will have lots of opportunity to prepare and make it as successful as possible.

Thanks again

The Pinker flew from Minneapolis to Alburquerque and back over Oct. 9-15, in cargo.
He was SUPPOSED to be small enough for "under the seat in front", which is <20 lbs.
But, at 14 mos he's 24 lbs, so into cargo he went.
He did fine, and he is a nervous type guy. No food or water the morning of the flight.
TSA looks them over, gets them out of the crate and pats them down (he wasn't big on that part) Then you put them in the crate, and someone takes them away.
I put the stonghest zip ties available on both sides of the door so there was no way he could open it.