Taking your dog flying

[Roger Wyatt]

Anybody fly regularly with their dog? When I buy my own plane, I thought about how my dog would do. Would love to bring her with me with doggie hearing protection. Any advice?

 

[Tantalum]

Oscar, and my previous dog, have both been flying with me many times and they do wonderful

I just tie some stretchy fabric around his head to keep his ears muffled.. granted, he usually removes it and doesn't seem to mind

Just a few recent trips in various club planes

 

[1anG]

Mutt muffs, I fly with my dog when I visit my parents back north. FL to NJ, my dog doesn’t like cars so I give her drugs to cope with the trip. But aside from that I took my headset off in cruise and the noise made me realize how horrible it would be for a dog with the superior hearing. So my advice would be mutt muffs which is a brand to someone alleviate some of the noise

 

[Shawn]

Generally dogs tend behave the same in small planes as they do in cars.

My pup's name is actually PAX but turns out he does not like the loud noise of the cockpit. Tried Mutt Muffs butt they were kinda useless so he only goes up when we have to go somewhere with him vs just flying for fun which is what I hoped for.

 

[cowman]

Yes, in crates. As for hearing protection, they won’t keep it on so we gave up.

*edit to add necessary clear pictures of doggos (yes that’s a different plane but same dogs)

 

[Rokke214]

I fly my own dogs and I have flown a LOT of dogs for Pilots and Paws. I’ve never used ear muffs or a kennel. If your dog is comfortable in a car, it will be just fine in an airplane. Yeah, it’s noisy. So is a dog kennel. I have to fly up to 14k’ to get over mountains in my neighborhood. The dogs don’t care.

 

[Joe_B1]

The first time we took our dog to the plane, we had to practically force her in. She could not understand the wing (Piper). We just let her sniff around without starting the engine. Second time she got right in so we started it and taxied around a bit, she did great. Third time, we did some touch and goes, no problems. You have to go slow but they get used to it. Now it's no big deal, she loves to fly.

 

[Rokke214]

I did get him an oxygen mask but I haven’t tied it yet because I think he’d try to eat it.

My dogs would for sure. We live at 7500’. We hike with the dogs to the top of 14,000 peaks. It nearly kills me. They don’t even slow down.

I don’t want to be responsible for any premature dog deaths, but this was my dog flying at 14,000 over the Collegiate Range into Gunnison. She wasn’t particularly bright in her best moments, but I think dogs do pretty well in thin air. YMMV.

 

[iamtheari]

My dog loves flying with me. I flew a PA-28 across the state to get her when she was 10 weeks old. I put her in a small crate in the baggage compartment. She whimpered on the ground, was quiet in the air, and whimpered on the ground after landing. I'm sure she slept the whole flight.

Ever since, she has preferred to be with me in the airplane rather than alone on the ground. I don't know if it's loyalty or a love for flying, but she seems happy in the air. I just checked and she has 39.2 hours of flight time, in three planes other than the Cherokee I originally picked her up in: Arrow, Champ, and 310. She rode on the back seat of the Arrow and Champ. She has flown on the copilot seat and in the way-back baggage area of the 310. And she has a higher demonstrated crosswind than half the pilots I know.

I could never get her to wear her 4 Paws Aviation ear protection when she was riding on the back seat. I would put them on before starting the engine, and she would just paw at them to get them off. But when she was sitting next to me in the 310, I put them on in cruise flight and she didn't mind. I know that dogs don't live long enough for hearing loss from flying to be a major concern, but I still want to do the best I can to repay my dog for being awesome.

In general, I suggest having a dog-handler on board the first few times you fly with your dog so you can focus on flying the airplane if the dog gets upset. Until you know how your dog reacts to flying, it's best not to have a wildcard in the cockpit without another human to help out.

Another tip is to try your best to find a place in the plane where your dog can lie down. That was an advantage of the rear bench seat in the Arrow compared with the bucket seats in the 310 and Champ. My dog spent most of her time in the Arrow looking out the window, but she did like to lie down when the view got boring, and she can't quite curl up that small on an individual seat. When I don't have to fill the seats, my plan in the 310 will be to pull out one or both of the third-row seats so she has a large area to relax in. But so far anywhere I have flown with my dog in that plane has included legs with 6 people on board.

 

[Tantalum]

I flew a PA-28 across the state to get her when she was 10 weeks old

Same! Oscar was 8 weeks old when I flew him home from Lake Tahoe to San Diego in the Cirrus

Cool thread!!

 

[danhagan]

I had a cocker spaniel that loved flying. Only issue was she would be a non-stop PITA if there were no passenger and she didn't get the front seat (her technique was to stick her nose between the front seats and "cold nose" you in the back just above your hip ... I hated that in summer and she got her way

 

[EdFred]

I haven't taken mine flying since he got turned to ashes last July.

 

[iamtheari]

Same! Oscar was 8 weeks old when I flew him home from Lake Tahoe to San Diego in the Cirrus

Cool thread!!

We're all just striving to be as cool as this guy and his dog:

 

[iamtheari]

I haven't taken mine flying since he got turned to ashes last July.

Bad timing. I don't know if I would have made it through 2020 without my dog.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

 

[EdFred]

View attachment 97991

View attachment 97992
View attachment 97994

View attachment 97993
I fly my own dogs and I have flown a LOT of dogs for Pilots and Paws. I’ve never used ear muffs or a kennel. If your dog is comfortable in a car, it will be just fine in an airplane. Yeah, it’s noisy. So is a dog kennel. I have to fly up to 14k’ to get over mountains in my neighborhood. The dogs don’t care.

You trust that oil extender to stay on in flight? You are a braver man than I.

 

[Randomskylane]

Any concerns with heat/sun?

How about old age? Our dog is pretty old so it’s probably too late to start with her (trouble breathing /climbing stairs /heat etc)

 

[EdFred]

Any concerns with heat/sun?

How about old age? Our dog is pretty old so it’s probably too late to start with her (trouble breathing /climbing stairs /heat etc)

The last year or two I had to make him a step to get into the truck and onto the wing of the plane. He didn't need it getting out of either.

 

[Rokke214]

You trust that oil extender to stay on in flight? You are a braver man than I.

I’m a really smooth pilot.

 

[Stewartb]

My dog loves flying with me. I flew a PA-28 across the state to get her when she was 10 weeks old. I put her in a small crate in the baggage compartment. She whimpered on the ground, was quiet in the air, and whimpered on the ground after landing. I'm sure she slept the whole flight.

Ever since, she has preferred to be with me in the airplane rather than alone on the ground. I don't know if it's loyalty or a love for flying, but she seems happy in the air. I just checked and she has 39.2 hours of flight time, in three planes other than the Cherokee I originally picked her up in: Arrow, Champ, and 310. She rode on the back seat of the Arrow and Champ. She has flown on the copilot seat and in the way-back baggage area of the 310. And she has a higher demonstrated crosswind than half the pilots I know.

I could never get her to wear her 4 Paws Aviation ear protection when she was riding on the back seat. I would put them on before starting the engine, and she would just paw at them to get them off. But when she was sitting next to me in the 310, I put them on in cruise flight and she didn't mind. I know that dogs don't live long enough for hearing loss from flying to be a major concern, but I still want to do the best I can to repay my dog for being awesome.

In general, I suggest having a dog-handler on board the first few times you fly with your dog so you can focus on flying the airplane if the dog gets upset. Until you know how your dog reacts to flying, it's best not to have a wildcard in the cockpit without another human to help out.

Another tip is to try your best to find a place in the plane where your dog can lie down. That was an advantage of the rear bench seat in the Arrow compared with the bucket seats in the 310 and Champ. My dog spent most of her time in the Arrow looking out the window, but she did like to lie down when the view got boring, and she can't quite curl up that small on an individual seat. When I don't have to fill the seats, my plan in the 310 will be to pull out one or both of the third-row seats so she has a large area to relax in. But so far anywhere I have flown with my dog in that plane has included legs with 6 people on board.

View attachment 98007

Samoyed? Maremma? A mix? Your dog looks like a more petite version of my Spurr. I had a Samoyed two dogs ago. All my dogs have gone with pretty much every time I fly.

 

[iamtheari]

Samoyed? Maremma? A mix? Your dog looks like a more petite version of my Spurr.

Samoyed. It's more obvious when her ears aren't hidden by the hearing protection. For anyone not aware, the Samoyed is a breed of smiling Siberian furball that pretends to have a dog buried somewhere within. When she gets wet, she shrinks down to nothing. When we go hiking, wood ticks will crawl into the fur looking for a dog, but they always crawl out after realizing that there isn't a dog anywhere to be found.

She also likes to supervise building airplanes.

 

[FastEddieB]

Chowder just recently passed away at about 14 from a recurring tumor that became inoperable at the end. She was a rescue that we named like we did because we thought she might be a Chow mix of some sort. Only later realized she looked more like a Samoyed.

She was a wonderful dog but always shy of people until she got accustomed to them. She was a rescue and we wonder if the hadn't been mistreated as a puppy.

Back on point, our 11 year old white miniature schnauzer, Halo, only recently earned her wings. Did not seem to terribly mind the Mutt Muffs. Now that we're down to just one dog, it should be easier to take trips with her along for the ride!

 

[Crashnburn]

I haven't taken mine flying since he got turned to ashes last July.

My condolences.

 

[Clip4]

I have taking a lab with me on hunting trips. He was always in a carrier secured on the rear seat. I don’t get the take the dog for a joy ride stuff be it a plane or car.

 

[FastEddieB]

I don’t get the take the dog for a joy ride stuff be it a plane or car.

And you probably never will.

 

[Tantalum]

Samoyed.

Sammys are great.. aunt always had them for as long as I've known her

 

[eman1200]

doggies.

 

[Southpaw]

I haven't taken mine flying since he got turned to ashes last July.

Sorry for your loss. Its a tough go loosing a good dog friend and buddy. "Been there done that "

 

[Southpaw]

I have taking a lab with me on hunting trips. He was always in a carrier secured on the rear seat. I don’t get the take the dog for a joy ride stuff be it a plane or car.

Guess your dog is a working tool , not a close family friend.

 

[RudyP]

My dog passed away a couple of years ago but she had thousands of flight hours and seemed to enjoy flying. She could also spot my airplane on a crowded ramp and would go right to it.

 

[wrbix]

Fly with my two boys. Use hearing protection by 4Paws Aviation (seem higher quality than Mutt Muffs)…..sometimes they leave them on. They both get their heads and front quarters into the baggage door on the Tiger and then I boost them up - tight fit through the door, but the rear area with back seats folded is commodious.

 

[Clip4]

Guess your dog is a working tool , not a close family friend.

I guess you are right, but my close family friends are secured with a seat belt in my car and plane in case of an accident. The dogs go in a carrier.

I also don’t have my close family friends in bed with me and my wife.

 

[Arnold]

Skye puppy:



She hates mutt muffs and hates being in the carrier on the back shelf even though it gives her a better view. She just squeezes down between us on the seat when we take off and stays there until we land, no matter how long the flight is.

 

[tawood]

My old hunting lab liked going anywhere, car or plane...she'd lost most of hearing from our shooting in the duck boat, so she didn't mind the noise.

 

[BarryCooper]

Presley has about 300 TT. No ear protection. Can hear you open the cheese drawer from the other end of the house

 

[Z06_Mir]

We brought ours home in our 310. She now has probably 200 hours... I need to update her logbook. We used mutt muffs and as she got older she tolerated them more. We sold the 310 though and a big part of the reason was her.. I felt bad putting her in an airplane 6+ hours once a week when it was either really hot or really cold or really bumpy and not pressurized. She loves the Conquest now, though.

I will say, it doesn't matter what kind of airplane if you say to her "Want to go for an airplane ride?!" she gets SUPER excited and goes towards the airplane. She's been in everything from a Warrior to a Citation. She's an airplane dog for sure.

 

[N747JB]

These are our two girls.

 

[N747JB]

We brought ours home in our 310. She now has probably 200 hours... I need to update her logbook. We used mutt muffs and as she got older she tolerated them more. We sold the 310 though and a big part of the reason was her.. I felt bad putting her in an airplane 6+ hours once a week when it was either really hot or really cold or really bumpy and not pressurized. She loves the Conquest now, though.

I will say, it doesn't matter what kind of airplane if you say to her "Want to go for an airplane ride?!" she gets SUPER excited and goes towards the airplane. She's been in everything from a Warrior to a Citation. She's an airplane dog for sure.

Mine definitely like the Conquest better than the 182! Neither of these pups got to ride in the Citation, but my Golden liked it!

 

[write-stuff]

I gave my Lab a slow progression into flight.
1. Get him used to simply sitting in the back seat on the ground without engine running.
2. Repeat Step 1 with the engine running. Then shut down and let him egress.
3. Taxi on ground. Then park, shut down, and egress.
4. Fly a short hop. After that, no problems.

 

[Racerx]

I flew my shorthair out to the trainer about 350nm for her first flight. Brought the crate not knowing how she'd do. She bounces off the walls in and out of the house. In a car she passes out instantly. Wasn't sure how she'd do in the plane so crated her. Turns out, she sleeps there too. Decided the crate wasn't needed when I picked her up. She somehow managed to destroy the inflatable neck cone in less than an hour after she was neutered, I doubt mutt muffs would have lasted that long.