Flying With A Large Dog? We’ll Help You Prepare

June 7, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Tips for Flying With a Large Dog

Many decades ago, we were living in a foreign country for several years. When it came time to move back to the U.S., we knew we wanted to bring our dogs back with us. One was a Rottweiler and the other was a German Shepherd Dog.

While it was challenging importing dogs into the U.S., knowing my dogs were traveling as checked baggage freaked me out even more. For the most part, airline travel is safe for dogs, but there are a few precautions every pet owner should follow before flying with a large dog.

Consider the Weather

Airlines have strict pet restrictions now due to previous accidents or deaths from traveling pets, unfortunately. One such restriction is weather. Many airlines won’t fly dogs over or under certain temperatures since they will be kept in the storage area of the plane.

While a plane’s storage area is pressurized, tarmacs are extremely hot during the summer and frigid during the winter. Depending on your destination and current location, choose a cooler time to fly with a large dog. As an example, fly to the southern states during winter and northern states during early spring or fall. Before scheduling a flight with your dog, check for pet weather restrictions by contacting the airline directly.

Wait, Your Dog’s Nose!

Many airlines won’t transport brachycephalic dogs because they react to extreme temperatures and pressure changes very quickly. Dogs with short muzzles and pushed-in noses have narrower nostrils and very large plates, which makes breathing during hot or cold temperatures more difficult.

Pugs, Boxers, Shih Tzus, Bulldogs, Pekingese, Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs are a few brachycephalic dog breeds. Before scheduling a flight, make sure your chosen airline will transport your dog as checked baggage. Be honest about your dog’s breed and anatomy because you and your brachycephalic dog will be turned away during check-in.

Purchase an Airline-Approved Pet Carrier

Make sure you have an airline-approved pet carrier for your dog. Because your large dog is flying as checked baggage, you’ll need a sturdy, plastic carrier with bolted sides.

For the most part, Petmate Vari-Kennels are approved by most major airlines. These dog carriers contain the necessary food and water dishes, and has “live animal” stickers for the sides and top of your dog’s crate.

The dog carrier you choose should be spacious enough for your dog to stand up and lie down comfortably. Check out this article on choosing a crate for your dog, but always verify airline regulations first. Of course, you can add bedding inside the carrier too to make it a little more comfortable for your dog.

Teach Your Dog A Few Skills

Remember the first time you flew on a plane? It was stressful, right? It will be for your dog as well. About two months before your flight, teach your dog to love his crate and how to load up inside his crate quickly. For more skills, check out these dog training tips.

Bring Your Dog’s Health Certificate

Before a dog can board a plane, he must have a health certificate from a veterinarian. Depending on your chosen airline’s requirements, most health certificates must be completed 30 days to 5 days before a dog’s flight.

Health certificates verify a dog is in good health and is up-to-date on vaccinations during his examination. You’ll need the original copy during check-in and you’ll most likely need to tape it to the top of your dog’s carrier, depending on the airline.

Items You’ll Need

It’s important to bring:

Six-foot nylon leash (no retractable leashes)
Ziplock bag of dog food
Bottle of water
Duct tape
Health certificate
Poop bags

Attach a flat buckle collar with ID tags to your dog, but remember to remove them once he’s securely crated in his carrier. Ensure your dog is microchipped too.

Place “live animal” and arrow stickers on your dog’s carrier as instructed. Then, spray a calming pheromone on your dog’s bedding and provide a few toys from home. This will help keep your dog calm.

It’s best not to sedate your dog before a flight, as many dogs have had horrible reactions. Training your dog to love his crate and taking extra steps and precautions will ensure he has an uneventful flight.

Finally, when you arrive on the plane, ask a flight attendant to verify your dog has been boarded.

Sit back and relax. Safe travels to you both!

Before Flying With A Dog, Teach These Skills

June 5, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Dog Training Tips for Flying With a Dog

For a safe and stress-free flight with your dog, it’s important to teach your dog a few valuable skills before boarding an airplane. All dogs should know these behaviors before taking off in a jet plane regardless if they’re riding in the cabin or as checked baggage (in belly of the plane).

As a reminder, resist purchasing fake service dog certificates and vests. These “special” permits are not fooling anyone. Plus, airlines are cracking down on fake services dogs, so follow pet airline travel restrictions and teach your dog to enjoy riding in an airplane. 🙂

Crate Training

First, teach your dog that her airline pet carrier is a wonderful place to be, so she happily walks into it on the day of your flight. You’ll also want to train your dog to comfortably rest in her carrier for an extended amount of time. Check out this article for crate training tips.

Introduce Movement

Once your dog enjoys relaxing in her crate, it’s time to introduce movement.

With your dog inside her pet carrier, take a stroll through your neighborhood and reward her for remaining quiet. Vary your walking pace too, as sometimes we’re rushed at airports. Then, slip a few yummy treats inside when she happily remains still.

If you’re traveling with larger dogs, place your large dog’s crate inside your car. Now, load your dog into his crate, close the door and toss a few treats inside. Drive around your neighborhood, on the highway and around curving roads. Start slowly, then add additional distance, so your dog gets used to movement in his crate.

Simulate Airplane Sounds

As if being in an airport isn’t stressful enough, it’s very loud and the sound of jet engines is absolutely ear-piercing. All of this could be very distracting to your dog, so it’s recommended to positively introduce your dog to these weird sounds weeks before a flight.

For small dogs, bring your dog into your laundry room when clothes are drying. While inside the laundry room, play a few games of “touch.” (Of course, your dog should know how to play “touch” prior to this exercise.) Once she’s comfortable with the dryer noise, place her inside her pet carrier in the laundry room. Continue to practice for a few days.

Finally, set your dryer on low without any clothes inside and place your dog inside her carrier on top of the dryer. The bouncing and noise of a running dryer will feel like a plane ride. Reward generously throughout the entire process.

For large dogs, you can simulate the flying experience using this method too, but you might have a little trouble getting your dog into her carrier on top of the dryer. 🙂

Friendly Behavior

The last tip before flying with a dog is to teach your dog to be friendly. This means your dog isn’t barking at people, walks politely on leash, and can be easily picked up and carried.

Security areas are packed with noise and people. If you have a small dog, you’ll be walking through scanners together. Many bystanders might ask to pet your dog, so it’s vital your dog responds appropriately.

While large dogs don’t walk through main security gates, they will walk into the check-in area of an airport. This place is buzzing with people, rolling suitcases and, at times, hot tempers. From there, your dog will get inside her crate and be wheeled off by an airline employee. You’ll want to ensure your large dog is friendly at all times.

Safe Travels!

The Risks With Having A Dog Door

March 10, 2017 by Fanna Easter

You Might Want to Rethink Installing a Dog Door

Dog Door Installation — dmussman/Adobe Stock

Installing a dog door that allows your dog access to the backyard is a personal decision. As a dog trainer, I’m not very fond of dog doors. Understand that when I’m called to address dog behavioral concerns, the dog door is usually tied to the cause. It’s not the dog door’s fault though; it’s giving your dog unlimited access to the backyard that’s the culprit.

Before your hackles rise up, allow me to explain why I dislike dog doors. Once you understand the risks from a dog trainer’s perspective, then decide if a dog door would work for your dog.

Dog Door Risks

Your Dog May Bark More

Easily, excessive dog barking is the most common behavior issue during private consults—usually coupled with aggression. When dogs have unlimited access to a dog door, they’ll learn to run outside at the slightest sound and bark. Soon, this becomes a pattern, and dogs become really good at barking at anything and everything.

After a few weeks, neighbors will start complaining about excessive barking during the day when pet owners are at work. Then, neighbors will start to complain about dogs randomly barking at night. Eventually, the barking dog will be known as a nuisance barker and Animal Control will intervene and fine the pet owners.

Usually, I’m contacted right before or after Animal Control is involved. By this time, a barking dog has had plenty of time to practice barking. He’ll have become very efficient at rushing through the dog door to address whatever noise was heard. During my private lesson consults, many pet owners swear their dogs are “protecting their properties” by barking. Honestly, a dog’s presence and 1-2 barks is enough to warn intruders. Barking incessantly is a nuisance and unnecessary.

If this sounds like your dog, it’s time to lock up the dog door and hire a dog sitter for afternoon potty breaks. Also, leave soft music playing to drown out outdoor noises and prevent your seasoned barker from practicing his barking behavior again. Provide plenty of mental enrichment toys to keep your dog’s brain busy solving puzzles instead of barking.

Your Dog May Escape

When the right motivation combines with plenty of opportunities to practice climbing a fence, a dog will scale a 6-foot fence with ease. Motivation to bark includes another barking dog, kids riding bikes, or another dog approaching the fence. Pair motivation with the ability to climb a fence, and your dog will eventually get really good at escaping your backyard.

Dogs are smart. If they can’t go over the fence, they’ll go under. Don’t be surprised if your dog escapes if you give him 24-hour access to the backyard.

Your Dog May Become Aggressive

While incessant barking in a backyard is a common complaint from pet owners, there’s a much more dangerous issue. When dogs are allowed unlimited outdoor access without supervision, they’ll become frustrated and learn inappropriate behaviors, such as aggression.

When dogs see other dogs walk past their fence, they’ll learn to bark and even fence fight. Some dogs become very dog aggressive just from practicing this behavior in the backyard. And at times, some dogs become aggressive to people walking near the fence or children riding their bikes on the sidewalk.

If your dog is dog or human aggressive, keep him securely indoors and away from windows. Hire a pet sitter to bring your dog potty in your securely fenced-in backyard. This way, your pet sitter can redirect or reward good behavior when your dog encounters a trigger.

Thieves and Wildlife May Intrude

Most pet owners with dog door installations scoff at the idea of thieves and wildlife entering through a dog door, but it happens. While we assume our dogs will deter thieves and wildlife, sometimes these threats are actually drawn to dogs. Thieves can pepper spray your dog and enter your house through the dog door. Or worse yet, steal your dog.

Wildlife will follow the scent of food, especially dog food left near a dog door opening. Most wildlife scavenging for food aren’t very friendly either. They can seriously harm you and your dog plus carry disease.

No Dog Door, So Now What?

Installing a dog door is a personal decision, but I do think hiring a pet sitter is a much better idea. Yes, I know it’s more expensive, but it will prevent inappropriate dog behaviors caused by unlimited and unsupervised access to your backyard. Plus, hiring a professional dog trainer who provides results are expensive. Most dog trainers charge more than $100 an hour. So dog door drama costs can add up too. 🙂

If you’re one of the lucky ones without dog door drama, count your blessings. But do know, things can change quickly and you may want to ask your neighbors or set up a camera to make sure your dog is polite when outdoors. 🙂

Why You Shouldn’t Bring Your Dog To Festivals

March 6, 2017 by Fanna Easter

4 Reasons Not to Bring Your Dog to Festivals

Dog-Friendly Festivals — kasto/Adobe Stock

Mardi Gras was last week, but the buildup of parades and festivals had started weeks ago. I witnessed pet owners bringing their large and small dogs to these dog-friendly events, but these dogs weren’t enjoying the festivities as much as their owners.

As a huge dog lover, I completely understand why pet owners would want to share fun festivities with their four-legged family members. However, the dog trainer in me quickly intervenes to point out why dogs should be left at home. From what I saw this Mardi Gras season, it’s best not to bring your dog to festivals with you.

It’s Extremely Loud

Festivals and parades are extremely loud. Each parade starts off with a fire truck and ends with a police car blaring sirens and lights. Not only is this scary for small children—I witnessed many clutching their tiny hands over their fragile ears—it’s also frightening to dogs.

Crowds scream, school bands clang as they march past, loud music roars as floats pass by, and people push and shove for beads. Thankfully, I only spotted a few dogs within a 12-foot thick crowd. But from the glimpses between human legs, every dog I saw looked terrified. This isn’t fair to dogs.

Worst Place for Socialization

Dog-friendly festivals and parades are the worst places to socialize a puppy. Dog socialization refers to exposing your puppy to something positively, so he’ll learn that it’s harmless and safe.

Not only are festivals loud, but strangers lumber past and try petting unsuspecting dogs. Pair that with being stepped on or bumped into and your puppy will quickly learn that people are scary during these events. It only takes a single scary incident for your puppy to be frightened of people for years.

Overcoming this fear won’t be a simple “fix” either. Trust me.

Your Dog Will Get Hurt

People will step on and hurt your dog. Festival goers aren’t paying attention, and will accidentally step on your dog’s foot or tail. The chances of your dog being harmed is even higher when you add alcohol to the mix.

Some pet owners think clutching their small dogs in their arms will keep them safe, but even these tiny dogs are at risk too. Rambunctious and drunk crowds will elbow and push their way through a crowd regardless.

Food on the Ground

Festival grounds are littered with dropped ice cream cones, ant-covered hot dogs and spilled beer. It seems disgusting to us, but it’s an inviting buffet for your dog. While some of these food items aren’t necessarily dangerous to feed your dog, ingestion of fatty foods can cause pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas and an extremely painful illness that can easily become a chronic issue. Plus, pancreatitis can be fatal to your dog. Treating pancreatitis in dogs is expensive too, as most dogs need hospitalization for several days.

This festival season, keep your dog safe at home with soft music and a frozen yogurt stuffed Kong. He will thank you.

Festivals and parades are meant for humans, so keep your dog safe at home.

Keeping You And Your Dog Safe During Nighttime Walks

December 30, 2016 by Fanna Easter

5 Tips for Walking Your Dog at Night

With shorter daylight during winter, or hot 90-degree summer days, sometimes it’s best to walk your dog at night. Walking at night creates one huge obstacle though: it’s difficult to see in the dark. Many things can hide in darkness, so it’s best to take a few safety precautions before going on a nighttime walk with your dog.

1. Wear Reflective Collars & Harnesses

When it’s dark outside, it’s impossible to see moving objects in the distance. Visibility is key at night, and it’s important for drivers, cyclists, joggers and fellow walkers to see you and your dog ahead in the dark. Choose a reflective or glow-in-the-dark dog collar or harness. While white dogs reflect light better than dark-colored dogs, it’s important for all dogs to wear some type of light reflective material during nighttime walks.

These principles apply to pet owners too. Wear light-colored reflective clothes or shoes or carry a flashlight.

2. Walk on Lighted Paths

When walking your dog at night, choose lighted pathways for safety. You can find these in most parks and neighborhoods. Lighted pathways will allow drivers to see you when you’re walking near roadways, so they slow down.

Lights also provide you security. You’ll be able to see any approaching criminals, so you can react quickly. Additionally, lighted pathways will identify loose dogs, potholes, wild animals, broken glass and other harmful hazards that might be in your way.

RELATED: Walking Two Dogs at Once Tips

3. Use a Short Leash

During nighttime dog walks, it’s important to keep your dog close to you. Attach a 4-foot leash to your dog’s harness, or keep retractable leashes locked at 4 feet. Better yet, keep retractable leashes at home. They’re cumbersome during emergencies.

Dogs can navigate through darkness fairly easy, as their noses detect every scent and their ears hear every sound. Having a short leash on your dog’s harness will prevent your dog from stepping on broken glass, munching on discarded food or encountering wildlife. For you and your dog’s safety, keep your dog close to you during night walks.

4. Choose a Safe Path

Aside from choosing a lighted pathway, make sure it’s safe. Choose a path located in a safe and quiet neighborhood instead of a busy street. Safe paths should be free of loose dogs running around, barking dogs at fence lines, wildlife sightings (i.e. snakes, scorpions, raccoons, opossums) and criminal activity. Walking your dog at night may deter some criminals, but it certainly won’t stop all. Before heading out for a nightly walk, tell a friend or family member the path you’ll take and when you’ll be home.

5. Keep Your Phone in Your Pocket

Keep your phone in your pocket and ear buds at home. Unplug and enjoy this bonding time with your dog. Listening to music and talking on your phone are extremely distracting, which take your focus away from keeping you and your dog safe. Always be aware of your surroundings.

Be safe!