Dog on a plane

Ozone

Ozone

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Ozone
I have seen dog earmuffs, but are they really necessary? I am considering acclimating our puppy over the next few flights. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
I've done a few PNP flights, seems they prefer to sleep and not phased by the fact they're in a plane.
 
I've never seen a need, like above, pup just goes to sleep.
 
Kids, too. No need to have hearing protection for them, either, I guess.

My dog is a frequent flier and she wears them.
 

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Stewartb said:
Kids, too. No need to have hearing protection for them, either, I guess.

My dog is a frequent flier and she wears them.
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I've rode in the back of stripped down 206s and 182 for jumping, helmet but no ear plugs, no hearing loss.

There was also a review on mutt muffs, didn't offer much protection at all, I'm sure there are better offerings though, hey, if your dog tolerates you strapping that to their head and it makes you feel better, go for it.
 
My dogs show a quantum decrease in their nervousness after the K-9 brand muffs applied.
Would you subject yourself to cockpit noise? - Huh?
Dogs have sensitive hearing. Like your dogs much?
 
Our dogs ride in the plane all the time, and don't seem to mind it. They jump in the back, curl up in their seats and fall asleep. Usually they wake up on base and watch out the window for the rest of the flight.

We briefly talked about the Mutt Muffs, but we figured they would just knock them off.
 
Noise has damaged my own hearing so I try to manage noise when I can. I have a high quality noise meter and know what the noise levels are in my planes. If the mutt muffs provide 10dB of passive attenuation my dog's exposure is below the dangerous noise threshold. From my own trials I'm confident they do at least that so I continue to use them. My dog's good hearing makes her a better watch dog and that's reason enough for me to protect it.
 
Didn't think our rowdy Lab pup (18mos) would keep them on, but he seems to realize they make for a better flight experience. The older fella just accepts whatever.
 
I bought them, not thinking they would help much. Our lab kept taking them off in the house when we put them on him. Took him in the plane, with the engine running, he was wearing them and took them off. We put them back on and he left them on the entire time and never had a problem again. I think he realized that with them on in the plane it was quieter and decided he'd rather leave them on than take them off again. But maybe that's just me over thinking it.
 
James331 said:
I've rode in the back of stripped down 206s and 182 for jumping, helmet but no ear plugs, no hearing loss.
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Don't be like that guy. Nobody notices hearing loss unless they're instantly deafened due to an explosion or something. To prevent hearing loss we must be proactive.
 
GlennAB1 said:
Don't be like that guy. Nobody notices hearing loss unless they're instantly deafened due to an explosion or something. To prevent hearing loss we must be proactive.
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+1

I don't run even my lawnmower, weed eater or shop vac without hearing protection.
 
You simply cannot detect hearing loss until its' too late. Agreed, don't be that guy!

My grandfather was nearly deaf from all the machines he had worked over the years and he said, "It's a horrible thing not to be able to communicate with the ones that you love."
 
GlennAB1 said:
Don't be like that guy. Nobody notices hearing loss unless they're instantly deafened due to an explosion or something. To prevent hearing loss we must be proactive.
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Explosion or something?

Perhaps your idea of skydiving is a little different than mine.
 
Well, as a test "drive" we took the dog for about an hour today. She did well, but I will definitely look into those k9 earmuffs. Bernese/poodle mix, in case anyone is curious....

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For PNP flights, we don't use K-9 ear muffs and the dogs usually sleep during the flights. If it would be my dog and my intention is to have the dog fly with me on a regular basis, I definitely would have him / her wear muffs...
 
Ozone said:
Well, as a test "drive" we took the dog for about an hour today. She did well, but I will definitely look into those k9 earmuffs. Bernese/poodle mix, in case anyone is curious....

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She totally looks stuffed, labradoodle?
 
Not sure. I'd take 'em up high to see if they'll sleep. Also, kewl idea to carry a snake in case your ILS looks bad......"well, yeah, I was killing a snake..."
 
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I saw a 'home made' version of the pet muffs on the interwebs.

One of my co-owners takes his pups and they wear the commercial grade. For the first few flights, he says, someone needs to sit with them so when they knock them off (as is the natural instinct) they can be put back on. He says they quickly learn that the quiet is worth the clamp.

He also said making them wear them around the house didn't help. Has to have the direct noise increase for them to figure it out.

I've only taxied to the fuel pit with my Pom in the RV. She seems to sorta like it, but I'm not ready to take her up just yet. Maybe 2017?
 
I've flown a lot of dogs, none of them seemed to mind. Also, depending on the plane it's really not THAT loud. My mooney is too loud to comfortably have a conversation, but not so loud I'm worried about my dogs hearing. Unlike humans she's unlikely to live long enough to see long term hearing effects.
 
StinkBug said:
but not so loud I'm worried about my dogs hearing. Unlike humans she's unlikely to live long enough to see long term hearing effects.
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By that logic, our canine companions are unlikely to live long enough to suffer from degenerative arthritis, heart disease, etc. Sheesh. :rolleyes:
 
My dog flies probably 20 hours a year. At that rate it would take many more years than she has to develop hearing loss due to the rather moderate level of cabin noise. Kinda different from things that get wear and tear every living moment of a dogs life.
 
Hunting dogs have accelerated rates of hearing loss.
Dogs kept in noisy kennels (for just a small fraction of their lives) have accelerated hearing loss compared to a control group kept in quieter environment.

It's your dog - do what you think is right, or convenient.
I choose to supply hearing protection to my dogs. As stated - they seem calmer with the muffs on.
 
My last dog spent the last few years of his life deaf. Lots of flying but no hearing protection. My current dog just turned 10 and has more time in small airplanes than many pilots, all of it wearing muffs. She can still hear a mouse fart from across the street. Guys that say mutt muffs don't work are entitled to their opinions but very few have any experience to support their opinions. I don't seek out information about many things by asking guys with no practical knowledge of the topic. Just saying.
 
.....and there is some reasonably well done Veterinary literature to support the effect of noise on canine auditory acuity.
Science works.
 
I have flown over 520 animals, none seem to care about in cabin noise.
 
Mopauly said:
I have flown over 520 animals, none seem to care about in cabin noise.
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A single PnP flight won't cause that much damage. But repeated flights have an accumulative impact.
 
wrbix said:
If you do decide to go with hearing protection, suggest K-9 over Mutt Muffs.
www.4pawsaviation.com
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Wow - they have supplemental oxygen for pets too?! That's pretty cool. I've seen the ear protection, but the oxygen is a new one for me!
On topic: if I were flying with my dog frequently, especially if they're longer trips, I'd definitely invest in some muffs. It can't hurt to try them. Dogs' ears are pretty sensitive. But if it's just a quick trip a few times a year, I think it'll be fine to go without.
 
When we got our dog, she was a special order. We flew her from Kentucky to Birmingham on Delta. As a result, she lost her hearing. That was last October and she is just now starting to hear in a normal range. For the first year, she could only hear certain frequencies but now is starting to respond to normal conversation and sounds that she never did before. I do not think the hearing protection would have prevented this as it was more than likely due to pressure vs. noise. Just thought I would share with the community that I have a broken dog, but we love her and she is slowly repairing.

Carry on
 
When we got our dog, I flew her home in the Cherokee I was renting at the time. 2 hours at 8,500 in an airline-type crate in the baggage compartment. She whined during taxi, threw up one time at some point, and slept from takeoff to touchdown. She was very happy and playful as soon as she got out of there. Her next flight was for Christmas, age 10 months, 2 hours each way. She is too big to be comfortable in the same crate and a bigger crate won't fit through the baggage door in the Arrow, so we just put down towels on the back seat. She sat up 90% of the time, looking around and enjoying herself just as she does in the car. I ordered the 4 Paws Aviation ear protection for her today based on the thoughts and advice in this thread. My own hearing is damaged from years of guns, guitars, machinery, and so on. If there's anyone here who doubts it, let me tell you: Hearing damage is cumulative and occurs in mostly imperceptible increments.

If our dog did not like flying, I wouldn't bother with the hearing protection because I would know she wouldn't be exposed to the airplane noise enough to cause significant hearing loss. But she loved being in the plane with us and I am now more likely to have her with than my wife, who doesn't like flying so much, so I know that it will be important to do something to protect her ears. She already suffers (we suffer, rather) from Samoyed selective hearing and I'm not about to give her an excuse for the times she doesn't listen.

mulligan said:
When we got our dog, she was a special order. We flew her from Kentucky to Birmingham on Delta. As a result, she lost her hearing. That was last October and she is just now starting to hear in a normal range. For the first year, she could only hear certain frequencies but now is starting to respond to normal conversation and sounds that she never did before. I do not think the hearing protection would have prevented this as it was more than likely due to pressure vs. noise. Just thought I would share with the community that I have a broken dog, but we love her and she is slowly repairing.
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That's awful. I'm glad your pup is healing. We are going on a trip by commercial airlines this month and wanted so bad to take our dog with. Now I"m really happy that we gave up on that idea.
 
I've flown something around 2,000 dogs, and never put headsets on any of them. The only one I've had complain was a Dalmatian that barked the entire flight. But I heard he also barked on the whole car ride to the shelter, so he just liked to bark.
 
I think the real problem with dogs is that they have less ability to equalize pressure. A rapid descent can be a painful experience for a dog.
 
James331 said:
I've rode in the back of stripped down 206s and 182 for jumping, helmet but no ear plugs, no hearing loss.

There was also a review on mutt muffs, didn't offer much protection at all, I'm sure there are better offerings though, hey, if your dog tolerates you strapping that to their head and it makes you feel better, go for it.
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may be you "think" there is no hearing loss :cool:
 
I realize this is an old thread; but it’s really an evergreen, isn’t it?

I’m surprised by the amount of people who seem to think hearing loss is a question of consciousness. “The dogs fall right asleep.” Yeah, and?

Hearing loss is not some sort of mental trauma caused by “having experienced” loud noise. Hearing loss is physical damage to the tiny hairs inside the cochlea, and even to the nerve itself. Doesn’t matter if your brain is awake to record it. The physical damage is done by the amplitude of the sound waves hitting the delicate structures inside your - or your dog’s - ears.

If you have any actual concern for the wellbeing of your pet, protect their ears!
 
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