Flying With a Puppy: Tips for Traveling With a Puppy on an Airplane
How to Make Air Travel Calm, Easy & Successful
I recently had the chance to put all my favorite tips for flying with a puppy to the test when I flew home from Texas with not one puppy tucked under the seat in front of me—but two.
One was mine, and I was also transporting a puppy for a friend.
Both puppies were small enough that they could comfortably share one airline-approved in-cabin carrier and, together, weighed under 15 pounds.
And you know what?
Our day of traveling with puppies on a plane was incredibly uneventful.
Which, when you're flying all day with two young puppies, is exactly what you want.
If you've never considered airline travel with a puppy, it can sound intimidating. There are airports, security checkpoints, strange noises, crowds, airline pet policies and the challenge of keeping a young puppy comfortable for several hours.
But flying with a puppy really doesn't have to be stressful.
For me, the biggest secret isn't bringing a suitcase full of puppy supplies.
It's creating a travel day that feels calm, boring, predictable and safe.
Here are the things that made our puppy air travel day work so well.
1. Book a Nonstop Flight With Your Puppy Whenever Possible
If there is any reasonable way to book a nonstop flight when flying with a puppy in cabin, do it.
This might be one of my biggest recommendations.
A nonstop flight means:
One airport security experience
One boarding process
One takeoff
One landing
Less overall travel time
Fewer crowded airport terminals
Less time spent managing your puppy between flights
Fewer opportunities for delays or missed connections
Every additional flight adds stimulation and time to an already very different day for a young puppy.
If I have the choice between a slightly less convenient departure time and eliminating a connection, I'll take the nonstop flight.
When it comes to puppy air travel, simpler is better.
2. Don't Feed a Big Meal Right Before Flying
I don't feed a big meal immediately before flying with a puppy.
A very full puppy stomach combined with a car ride, airport, strange movement and airplane isn't necessarily a great combination.
About an hour or so before flying, I give my puppies a few blueberry-sized blobs of Tomlyn Nutri-Cal Puppy.
The regular tube is bigger than I want to haul around in my purse, so I squeeze a small amount into a tiny disposable food container before leaving.
You could technically use a snack-size zip-top bag, but Nutri-Cal has approximately the consistency of sticky honey.
Trust me.
Tiny container wins.
If you have a very small puppy or one with specific nutritional needs, talk with your veterinarian about feeding before flying rather than making a major change to your puppy's normal routine.
3. Choose an Airline-Approved Puppy Carrier for traveling with a puppy on an airplane
Your puppy travel carrier for the airplane needs to meet the requirements of the airline you're flying with and fit underneath the seat in front of you.
Always check your specific airline's current rules before traveling because carrier dimensions, pet fees, weight requirements, paperwork and the number of pets permitted can vary.
In my case, both puppies were small enough to comfortably share one carrier and met the airline's requirements for our particular flight.
When we arrived at the airport, my first stop was the airline counter.
They checked us in, looked over the puppies' veterinary paperwork, weighed the carrier and I paid the in-cabin pet fee. On this particular trip, my pet fee was $150.
It took a few minutes.
Easy peasy.
If you're nervous about checking in at the airport with a puppy, this portion really doesn't need to be complicated. Have your paperwork organized, know your airline's current pet policy and give yourself enough time that you aren't rushing.
4. My Favorite Puppy Air-Travel Trick: Layer Your Pee Pads
This might be my favorite practical tip for traveling with a puppy on an airplane.
I put a puppy pee pad over the bottom insert of the carrier.
But I don't stop with one.
I layer three pee pads over it.
That means if somebody has an accident—or gets carsick or airsick—I don't have to dismantle the entire puppy carrier in the middle of an airport.
I simply remove the dirty top layer, fold it up, throw it away and...
Ta-da.
There's already a completely fresh pee pad underneath.
No digging through luggage.
No trying to line a carrier while simultaneously holding a puppy.
No drama.
If you're making your own puppy airplane travel packing list, add extra pee pads.
5. Going Through Airport Security With a Puppy Is Easier Than You Think
One of the most common questions people have about flying with a puppy is:
How do you take a puppy through airport security?
It's actually pretty simple.
You remove your puppy from the carrier.
The empty puppy carrier goes through the security scanner with your other belongings, while you carry the puppy through the checkpoint with you.
Then you put everyone back where they belong afterward.
I make sure I have a very secure hold on the puppy before opening the carrier.
An airport is definitely not the place for a puppy to discover freedom.
Otherwise, airport security with a puppy is surprisingly straightforward.
6. At the Airport, Focus on Calm Puppy Socialization
Once we're through security, I'm not trying to exhaust my puppy before the flight.
This is probably one of the biggest differences between how I approach puppy travel and airport socialization and what people might expect.
I don't want wild play.
I don't want the puppies getting wound up.
I don't want a parade of strangers exciting them.
I want calm energy.
While we waited for our flight, I sat on the floor with the puppies and left the carrier open beside me.
They could climb out.
They could climb back in.
They could lie beside me.
I quietly stroked their faces and chests and allowed everything happening around us to simply happen.
The goal wasn't:
"Look at all these exciting new things!"
It was:
"Yep. This is an airport. People walk by. Bags roll past. Announcements happen. You're safe. No big deal."
For a young puppy experiencing their first airplane flight, that's exactly the emotional state I want before boarding.
7. Choose Calm Interactions With Strangers
At one point while we were waiting, a woman nearby noticed the puppies.
She happened to own two standard Australian Shepherds and understandably needed an Aussie puppy fix.
We ended up talking for quite a while, and I let her hold and quietly love on the puppies.
She was a calm adult, comfortable with dogs and great with them.
It became a wonderful little socialization opportunity during our travel day.
A few children walked past us too.
I didn't offer the puppies to them.
I didn't make eye contact or invite an interaction, and they continued on their way.
Nothing against kids.
I simply wasn't looking for high-energy puppy excitement right before boarding a plane.
There's a time for enthusiastic puppy play and socialization.
Waiting at the airport before a long flight isn't necessarily it.
When traveling with your puppy, you don't need to let everyone who thinks your puppy is adorable hold them.
Choose the interactions that support the emotional state you want.
8. Once You're on the Plane, Let Your Puppy Be Bored
During takeoff and landing, the puppy carrier needs to be properly stowed according to your airline's instructions.
Once we were cruising and it was permitted, I slid the carrier farther out toward my feet.
That allowed better airflow around the puppy carrier and helped keep them comfortable.
Then I did something very important.
I left them alone.
I didn't pull them out of the carrier.
I didn't constantly unzip it.
I didn't talk to them every few minutes.
I didn't repeatedly check whether they were awake.
Their carrier was right beside my feet.
They knew I was there.
And because absolutely nothing interesting was happening...
they settled down and slept. Even when we had a bit of turbulence and there was an announcement, I did NOT reassure the pups with "it's ok" or anything. NOPE. ZERO WORDS. I just kept about my business like it was nothing.
That's exactly what I want when flying with a puppy in the airplane cabin.
The airplane doesn't need to become another puppy activity.
Let flying be boring.
9. Take Care of Your Human Needs Before Boarding Too
This is an overlooked part of having a successful flight with a puppy.
If you're hungry, thirsty, searching for your headphones, digging through your luggage or constantly getting up, you're making travel more complicated for yourself and your puppy.
When I travel with puppies, I prepare myself almost as carefully as I prepare them.
My purse had:
Human snacks
Water
Earbuds ready to go
My playlist downloaded ahead of time
Anything I knew I'd want during the flight
**REMEMBER- your puppy IS your carryon item!! SO you only get a small purse too.
I want as few reasons as possible to get up, dig through bags or change what we're doing once the puppies have settled.
Think About Bathroom Timing Too
If I can avoid it, I don't love hauling a young puppy carrier into a busy airport restroom.
There are a lot of people, shoes, floors and germs moving through those spaces.
If I need the restroom during a long travel day, I prefer to take care of that before I'm managing the puppies or, if necessary and practical, during the flight once everyone has settled.
Again, the goal is reducing unnecessary movement and exposure.
10. What to Pack When Flying With a Puppy
You don't need to bring half your puppy room with you.
My puppy airplane travel essentials are pretty simple:
Airline-approved soft-sided puppy carrier
Required veterinary paperwork
Several puppy pee pads
Travel-size baby wipes
Paper towels
Small disposable bags for trash or accidents
A tiny container with Nutri-Cal
One or two appropriate collagen chew sticks
My own snacks and water
Earbuds
Downloaded music or podcasts
Phone charger
That's pretty much it.
The goal isn't to prepare for 437 imaginary disasters.
It's to pack the handful of things that will solve the most likely problems quickly.
TOP QUESTION PEOPLE ASK ME: Should a Young Puppy Use the Airport Pet Relief Area?
Short Answer: NO
This is another place where traveling with a young puppy is different from traveling with a fully vaccinated adult dog.
I personally don't want my young puppies wandering around heavily trafficked airport pet relief areas unless absolutely necessary.
A large number of unfamiliar dogs may have used those spaces.
I'd much rather manage potty needs using clean pee pads and limit where a young puppy's feet are touching whenever I reasonably can.
Talk with your veterinarian about public exposure based on your puppy's age, vaccination history and individual circumstances.
The Bigger Goal of Flying With Your Puppy
One of the best things you can teach a puppy isn't that every new experience is amazing.
GOAL:
New things can happen around me, and I can remain calm.
Airports are actually full of puppy socialization opportunities.
Rolling suitcases.
Strangers.
Announcements.
Automatic doors.
Different flooring.
Crowds.
Airplanes.
Engine noises.
Movement.
Being carried.
Being confined.
And then, eventually...
A really good nap.
I don't need my puppy to love every second of their first airplane trip.
I want them to learn that all of those things can happen and they are still completely okay.
My Biggest Tips for Flying With a Puppy
If I had to boil my entire Texas-to-Ohio puppy travel day down to a few things, they would be these:
Book a nonstop flight whenever you possibly can.
Keep the hours before the flight calm instead of trying to physically exhaust your puppy.
Let the puppy carrier become a comfortable little home base rather than something your puppy only gets zipped into.
Choose calm, positive interactions with people rather than letting everyone excite your puppy.
Layer your pee pads.
Seriously.
You'll thank me later.
Don't feed a huge meal immediately before flying.
Prepare your own snacks, entertainment and travel needs ahead of time.
And once you're in the air...
stop entertaining the puppy.
Let the carrier be quiet.
Let the airplane be boring.
Let your puppy sleep.
That was ultimately the biggest success of my trip.
I flew all day with two little puppies, and rather than spending the flight trying to keep them constantly occupied, I created an environment where there was simply nothing they needed to do.
And sometimes, especially with puppies...
nothing happening is exactly the goal.
Before Flying With Your Puppy
Airline pet policies can change and vary significantly between carriers.
Before booking your flight, check your airline's current requirements for:
In-cabin pets
Puppy carrier dimensions
Pet fees
Age or weight requirements
Veterinary or health paperwork
Number of puppies permitted in one carrier
Check-in procedures
Breed or destination restrictions
Then pack light, arrive prepared...
and enjoy traveling with your little copilot.
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