# Flying a with a Malinois puppy



## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

Hey all. I'm slated to get a male Malinois puppy in May. By that time he should be between 8-10 weeks old. We live in Ontario, the breeder just outside of Seattle, Washington. We plan on flying from Detroit to Seattle to pick him up.

We also plan on bringing him on the passenger area of the plane with us. It's been almost 3 years since my female was a puppy and I cannot remember how much a puppy of that sex and age weighs/how tall they are/how long they are. Can anybody give me some averages?

I plan on flying with Delta as its the only direct flight from Detroit to Seattle. If anybody has any experiences with this please share.


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## kristin tresidder (Oct 23, 2008)

i would definitely try to get him closer to 8 weeks. by 10 weeks, it's questionable whether he'll fit in the carry on bag.


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## Alison Grubb (Nov 18, 2009)

I flew both my bulldog and malinois pups when they were 7-8 weeks old. I'm not sure either one of them would have fit under the seat at 10 weeks of age. Both times I flew with Jet Blue and they didn't actually make me keep the pups under the seat.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

8 weeks is as young as they can be shipped (the minimum on the health certificate papers). What I'd be worried about is the puppy hollering (boredom, has to pee, etc) in the cabin and getting asked never to fly again with an airline. Anyone have experience with that on a long flight?


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

That was my thought, but I've been annoyed with peoples screaming children enough times on flights... and since puppies are cuter than babies, I'm not worried about it 

I agree with picking them up at 8 weeks, I'd really like to do that, however, I'm in law school now and the 8-10 mark is the final exam period for me, so the 10 week mark works a little better - depending on size I guess... in the end, I guess it will all depend on when the little guy is born.


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## kristin tresidder (Oct 23, 2008)

i've flown two pups in the cabin from schipol to the 'states, and both have been angels on the flight - sleeping most of the way. one of the two is definitely not an angelic dog either, and i shared all the same fears when beginning my travels with him!


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## Alison Grubb (Nov 18, 2009)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> 8 weeks is as young as they can be shipped (the minimum on the health certificate papers). What I'd be worried about is the puppy hollering (boredom, has to pee, etc) in the cabin and getting asked never to fly again with an airline. Anyone have experience with that on a long flight?


Limiting water intake prior to the flight and giving the pup a chance to pee before entering the airport should eliminate or at least cut down on the incidence of the pup needing to pee. Both of my pups slept the whole freaking way, and it was a long trip in both cases. I've also never had anyone ask me for a health certificate. Not saying it won't happen, but it hasn't for me.

Why not just have the pup flown to you in cargo and you can pick him up at the airport? Or enlist a friend to make the trip for you? Or are you pretty set on seeing the litter and selecting the pup yourself?


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Alison Grubb said:


> I've also never had anyone ask me for a health certificate. Not saying it won't happen, but it hasn't for me.


That's interesting...I'd probably have one in case cause it looks like North Carolina law for dogs coming into the state:



> All domestic dogs, cats, and ferrets entering North Carolina must have a health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian within 30 days of the date of entry into the state, and animals four months of age and older must also have a current rabies vaccination and rabies certificate. Dogs, cats and ferrets entering the state must be currently vaccinated against rabies by four months of age or older. If a domestic dog, cat or ferret four months of age or older enters North Carolina and is not currently vaccinated against rabies, the animal must be vaccinated against rabies within one week of entry and remain confined for two weeks after vaccination.


From: http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/vet/importexport.html

Just in case anyone wants to look up their state's regulations, I think this applies to both importing from other countries and interstate travel:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_states.shtml


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## Alison Grubb (Nov 18, 2009)

I have always had a health certificate, just never been asked for it.


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## Oluwatobi Odunuga (Apr 7, 2010)

Hi guys sorry to go a bit off point, does anybody have an idea of the avergae price for travelling with a pet for an international flight. I plan to bring my 2year old female from Nigeria to thailand.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Alison Grubb said:


> I have always had a health certificate, just never been asked for it.


See, there ya go. The one time you forget it is the one time they ask. ;-)


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

Oluwatobi Odunuga said:


> Hi guys sorry to go a bit off point, does anybody have an idea of the avergae price for travelling with a pet for an international flight. I plan to bring my 2year old female from Nigeria to thailand.


Why not look at the airline you want and look at their policies? You'd find that fairly quickly


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

Alison Grubb said:


> Limiting water intake prior to the flight and giving the pup a chance to pee before entering the airport should eliminate or at least cut down on the incidence of the pup needing to pee. Both of my pups slept the whole freaking way, and it was a long trip in both cases. I've also never had anyone ask me for a health certificate. Not saying it won't happen, but it hasn't for me.
> 
> Why not just have the pup flown to you in cargo and you can pick him up at the airport? Or enlist a friend to make the trip for you? Or are you pretty set on seeing the litter and selecting the pup yourself?


I want to see the litter... I have male #2 and want to pick him. I also have a friend in the area that I can visit


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## Alison Grubb (Nov 18, 2009)

Ryan Venables said:


> I want to see the litter... I have male #2 and want to pick him. I also have a friend in the area that I can visit


I feel you. Makes perfect sense.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.


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## Oluwatobi Odunuga (Apr 7, 2010)

Thanks ryan,
I can't believe i didn't think of that first.


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## Rina Rivamonte (Jan 11, 2011)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> 8 weeks is as young as they can be shipped (the minimum on the health certificate papers). What I'd be worried about is the puppy hollering (boredom, has to pee, etc) in the cabin and getting asked never to fly again with an airline. Anyone have experience with that on a long flight?


Not a puppy but I've flown with my cat from LAX to O'Hare (then back again) and he meowed practically the whole entire flight (5 hours I believe?) The passengers and crew were quite understanding and not a single person complained. I guess I was just really lucky but like someone else stated, most people are more forgiving with animals.

As others, I also had a health certificate but was never asked to see it.


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## Tracy Davis-Sullivan (May 10, 2010)

Our latest puppy was shipped to us but we did fly with our Doxie Mix in the cabin last summer. He had one of those little bags. We made him a filled and frozen Kong and he worked on that for the vast majority of the flight.

Of course, we took him out for a pee as soon as we could once we landed but he was better behaved than about 75% of the flight!


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## Melody Greba (Oct 4, 2007)

Ryan Venables said:


> I want to see the litter... I have male #2 and want to pick him. I also have a friend in the area that I can visit


I did the same thing a year ago in Nov. I got my mali bitch pup through the whole thing without a hitch. She was small enough at the time.

Did a lot of preplanning because I was very concerned about howling and screaming since this is the first time in a crate and being without littermates. 

At the hotel, left her sleep in bed with me so she wouldn't scream in the crate at the hotel. On the way to the airport, she was crated and I left her scream and cry. 

Lots of potty breaks before going past security. And of course, I brought pee-pee pads, pig's ears, a handful of food and chew hooves for the flight. Bring wipes and paper towels too, just in case. Your dog, your mess...not anyone elses.

We did have a longer than planned lay-over at the connecting airport due to mechanical issues. I got her out and played with her in a corner by ourselves (gave her pee-pee time, just in case she needed to). Found a tug-like object to play with, maybe it was our leash...don't remember. Flight attendents passed her around. So that gave her some time out of the carry-on bag too. 

Dogs are supposed to be left in their carriers during the flight. I like to comply since this is a privilege and not a right.

All in all, the flight went as planned for the dog. We did have a crying child in the seat in front of us. Much prefer for passengers and flight crew to *think* or comment that they'd rather have a dog on a flight than a crying child. Wouldn't want it to be the opposite way around. 

Just some helpful hints.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Ryan Venables said:


> I want to see the litter... I have male #2 and want to pick him. I also have a friend in the area that I can visit


Does the breeder know you aren't coming until the pups are 10 weeks, and expect him to hold all the male pups until then?

I flew with a pup to CT last year (the Wicked One) and she was awesome. It was a last minute thing, she was supposed to go in cargo but they wouldn't take her due to temps, so I wasn't nearly as prepared as I'd have liked. But she was totally quiet on the flight, went to sleep during each takeoff, and didn't wake up until we were landing. Both times the people who's seat she was under didn't even know she was there until we started to land. But I take my pups in the vehicle a LOT when they are little, and I think the airplane was similar, the noise, vibration, etc so she just settled down for a nap.

However, she barely fit under the seat, and she was a small puppy. I've had a few people fly out to pick up their pups, and at 8 weeks the pups didn't fit in the crates that met airline specs in terms of height. And these were the fabric crates that allow for stretching "up" vs a hard plastic crate. I'd book to have the pup on the flight, but I'd also make sure it can go into cargo if needed, and have a backup plan for getting a cargo approved crate.


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## Melody Greba (Oct 4, 2007)

I think before that I left to go pick up the puppy, I'd call the breeder and get an approximate weight of a pup. That might determine if you take it in-cabin or cargo. 8 wks of age seems like it is pushing it, let a lone 9-10 wks. ~oh my~


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

Kadi Thingvall said:


> Does the breeder know you aren't coming until the pups are 10 weeks, and expect him to hold all the male pups until then?
> 
> I flew with a pup to CT last year (the Wicked One) and she was awesome. It was a last minute thing, she was supposed to go in cargo but they wouldn't take her due to temps, so I wasn't nearly as prepared as I'd have liked. But she was totally quiet on the flight, went to sleep during each takeoff, and didn't wake up until we were landing. Both times the people who's seat she was under didn't even know she was there until we started to land. But I take my pups in the vehicle a LOT when they are little, and I think the airplane was similar, the noise, vibration, etc so she just settled down for a nap.
> 
> However, she barely fit under the seat, and she was a small puppy. I've had a few people fly out to pick up their pups, and at 8 weeks the pups didn't fit in the crates that met airline specs in terms of height. And these were the fabric crates that allow for stretching "up" vs a hard plastic crate. I'd book to have the pup on the flight, but I'd also make sure it can go into cargo if needed, and have a backup plan for getting a cargo approved crate.


Kadi, all good points thanks! I think what we plan on doing is some math once the little guy is born. I have contacted the breeder, and he thinks the pup will fit in the crate. I plan on using one similar to this:
http://pettravelstore.com/products/Pet-Carrier-Sherpa-Original-Deluxe.html

What I think we will do is once he's born is figure out when we are going to pick him up. I'll also place a call into the airline we're going to use to confirm what is on their website. I'm sure puppies do lots of growing in the 8-11 week range, so if we have to I'll grab him right at 8 weeks and suffer at home when studying for exams. Otherwise, we'll get him at the beginning of May.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Alison Grubb said:


> I have always had a health certificate, just never been asked for it.


Now see? I have always had a health certificate and HAVE been asked for it EVERY time!


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## Marta Wajngarten (Jul 30, 2006)

Ryan Venables said:


> I'm sure puppies do lots of growing in the 8-11 week range, so if we have to I'll grab him right at 8 weeks and suffer at home when studying for exams. Otherwise, we'll get him at the beginning of May.


Ryan just to give you an idea, my pup at 7.5 wks was just over 8 lbs and maybe 9-10'' tall. She was the size of my Maltese, perfect little pocket sized. 

She is going to be 11 wks old tomorrow and today she came in at 15lbs and around 14'' tall. And I'm only expecting her to be around 60/70lbs when she's fully grown based on the size of her parents. I think your pup will be a bit bigger then that based on his parents' size.


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## Maria Jeffrey (Dec 11, 2010)

Ryan,
When Torin arrived at 8 weeks of age he was just under 15lbs (14lb 8 ounces) ... i don't think i coulda fit him under the seat. I'd check and see how big your pup is before you fly out...especially if he's closer to 10 weeks....Tor was 18lbs at 10 weeks. 
Maria


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## Sheena Tarrant (Sep 21, 2008)

Ryan Venables said:


> I plan on using one similar to this:
> http://pettravelstore.com/products/Pet-Carrier-Sherpa-Original-Deluxe.html


A bag I've used before and really liked was a "Sturdibag". http://www.sturdiproducts.com/4111/xcart/product.php?productid=2&cat=1&page=1 Doesn't collapse like the old Sherpa bags tended to do (although the new ones might not) and the bag itself is really light. Bag + dog are supposed to be under 15 pounds on a lot of airlines (although they don't typically weigh them), so a light bag is useful. 

If the breeder will consider it, one thing that might help is sending the bag out ahead of time to get the pups used to being in the bag - ex. fed or given a bone/treat in the bag so they actually like it by the time you pick him up. Don't know if it makes a difference or not, but the last pup I flew with did fine on our flight.


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