Travel in the airplane

[Maksym]

Hi!

I am a new owner of a cairn puppy. Her parents are 8 kg for a female and 11 kg for a male. This means that the adult dog will have a weight ~8 kg. I am wondering whether it is possible to travel with the dog of this weight in a cabin of the airplane. More general, I am interesting in stories of travelling with cairn terriers in the airplane (either the cabin or a cargo).

 

Could you please tell me?

Edited February 5, 2019 by Maksym

[Kathryn]

I have flown with my cairn Oban, who at the time weighed about 14.5 pounds.  I believe the cut-off for dogs is 15 pounds here in the United States.  I have not flown internationally with  dog, and I am not sure how to do that.

Airplanes in the US require that the dog fit within an approved carrier under the seat. Our dog Oban fit, but did not like the confinement and was a little whiny while under the seat.  We flew twice: once the flight attendants let us put the carrier on our lap so we could comfort him, and the second time the attendant was much more strict and required the dog to stay under the seat (this, I admit, after she found out we had him sleeping under a raincoat in the empty middle seat between us).

We gave him something from the vet to calm him, but I am not sure it had much effect.  What worked was to keep him in our laps and to pet him occasionally.  Then he was able to fall asleep.

I had a really bad experience traveling with a dog who we flew in the cargo area: flying back home in the winter, the temperature dropped lower than regulations allowed for flying a dog, and the airline would not fly him.  We were two hours from the friends we had been staying with, and we had to make quick arrangements to find accommodations for ourselves and the dog to wait until the temperature warmed enough that the dog could fly.  After that, I decided I would never fly again with a dog unless it could be in the cabin.

We also had to carry health records and have a certification of health signed by our vet before we left.

Hope this helps! Not sure what the regulations are in Europe if you are flying there.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Kathryn

[bradl]

Yes you'll have to read the regulations carefully for the airline you're flying.  We flew successfully (USA) with Haggis who was 8kg but rules have tightened since those days.

Welcome to CairnTalk  

[Sam I Am]

KLM airlines allow pets up to 18 pounds including the bag or kennel in the cabin.

https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/974085/airlines-that-allow-pets-in-cabin/

 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Terrier lover

[Idaho Cairns]

We have had two Cairn pups and one Cairn rescue flown as cargo on direct destination flights with absolutely no problem, neither pup showed the least bit of stress.  That was the case with the rescue as well.

[Maksym]

Thank you for the replies. And what is the typical weight of cairn terriers? Is the weight >= 8 kg a common case?

[bradl]

It varies wildly. Here is a previous discussion on that topic that may help: 

 

[Guest dog person]

7 hours ago, Maksym said:

Thank you for the replies. And what is the typical weight of cairn terriers? Is the weight >= 8 kg a common case?

My male cairn weighs between 20-21 pounds, as a mature adult.    He is fit and trim at age 5

At age 7 to 9 months (not 100% sure of his age, I am going by what the examining vet estimated) he weighed 15-16 pounds.

[sanford]

Some good info above, from the members here.

I've never flown with Ruffy, but followed with interest previous forum discussions on this topic. It was disturbing to hear about mishaps with some dogs who flew in cargo. Also problematic are the rules that seem to vary from one airline to another. One member even went to the airport with the travel crate some weeks prior to the trip to verify in advance that the crate size, etc. was Ok.

In regard to the weight of our cairns: Carrington was 15 lbs., (which is often considered average). Ruffy is 20 lbs. Some have been as small as 12 lbs., others tip the scales in the mid - upper 20"s!

[Maksym]

Taking into account the information, I conclude that the Wikipedia significantly underestimates the weight range of the cairn terriers: the most of them are heavier than 16 lbs, which is the upper bound...

 

The weight is very important for me, since I travel very often by the airplane. I would like to omit the cargo, and since my cairn is expected to be heavier than the upper bound allowed by the airlines, I will have to travel by trains.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Maksym

[Sam I Am]

M  as you live in the Netherlands, a small country with Europe’s wonderful train system, count yourself lucky you can take a train. Living in Canada which is huge, vast and for mostly not populated , I wish we had a decent mode of long distant travel also. I am planning to travel back to the country I was born in and am looking forward to bikes, trains perhaps barges, not so much automobiles.  Would love to see pictures of you with your Cairn youngster on the train.

[bradl]

Our Stella (age 14) is 5.4 kg; Dundee (age 9) is a tad overweight at 6.9 kg.

[Maksym]

Dear all, thank you for the information!

 

Here is a photo of the puppy!

[Sam I Am]

Lovely coat colour.

[sanford]

An adorably cute pup with a beautiful brindle coat! It will be interesting to see how the coat changes color in years ahead.

[Kathryn]

Cute puppy!

I love pups at that age when their ears seem so large. They look so expressive and curious.

Edited February 14, 2019 by Kathryn

[Guest dog person]

That puppy appears to be older than 8 weeks.

What does the veterinarian that examined him think?

I could be wrong......maybe he is going to be a on the large side.

Edited February 14, 2019 by dog person

[Hillscreek]

What a cute face and lovely colored coat. Their ears seem so large compared to their bodies when they are small. Sometimes I think if they could just flap them they'd take right off - the flying cairn ha ha.