Airline Kennel

Heidi

I feel silly about this, but I can't decide what size kennel Sosuke needs for flying on an airplane. I've measured and put him inside different kennels. It's his damn ears. When he's standing relaxed, the top of his ears are 26" because they're pointing sideways. If his head and ears are up all the way, it's 30". The 36" long kennel is only 27" high, which is only 1" clearance if he's relaxed, but what if they want clearance for when his ears and head are all the way up? The maximum height they even allow for kennels is 30".

I find it hard to believe my 40 lbs dog needs an extra large crate. Or even a large crate, really. When I just put him in a crate, he looks like he fits fine in a 32" crate and the 36" one looks gigantic. We use a 36" wire crate at home it's very spacious. I have a 28" one in my car that he fits snugly into for car rides. I'm just glad I'm not flying with an Akita.

It's also supposed to have "devices for lifting carrier." They larger ones don't come with handles, so what exactly does that mean?

Crispy

If I recall correctly, TK had to go in an intermediate or large sized kennel... whatever that size was. I remember it was a size larger than what I thought he'd need.

Likewise, Nami was the size down from him, but also needed a size larger than I thought she would. I wouldn't be surprised if he needed an intermediate or large if he's around TK's size.

Not sure what the last bit means. Neither of my crates had handles... so I can't help there.

Heidi

I think 32" is intermediate and 36" is large. I guess I'll go with large, but I'm paranoid that even that won't be big enough because of his ears.

I guess I can get/make some straps with handles as a "lifting device."

Ten bucks says they won't even care, though. They also have contradictory instructions would dishes in the crate and whether or not there should be able and whether or not there should be food or water, but at least I can just buy that stuff and take it off if they ask me to. I've never flown with a dog before. I'm nervous just thinking about it and it's a few months away.

Heidi

I figure I should buy the kennel now and get him used to it. I'm not confident that he won't whine when I leave him with the baggage claim and they reserve the right to refuse animals that are in distress.

PoetikDragon

I wouldn't worry about the ears, or the airline caring if his ears touch -- we've never had any airline care to date and have done quite a bit of flying with our dogs. You do not want a crate that is too big, as it is unsafe for the dog - it should be snug, allowing them to stand up and turn around but not encouraging them to stand a lot. Definitely don't want a whole lot of space above/around the dog, as the dog can get thrown around in turbulence or transit and get injured.

My JA boys (73 and 76 lbs) use a 500 crate, but are just fine in a 400 as well when we've flown on an airline that couldn't accommodate a 500. That's worth noting by the way - even if the flight accepts dogs, it may not be able to take a 500 crate. Once we had to leave the airport and go to a pet store to get a 400 just minutes before a flight. Yikes!

Our larger girls (58 and 64 lbs) use a 400 crate. Our smaller girls (43, 48, and 49 lbs) use a 300 crate.

I find it hard to believe your 40 lb dog needs a large crate which I think is a 400.

This site is very helpful: http://www.dryfur.com/

And this link in particular: http://www.dryfur.com/shipping_container_guide.htm

Heidi

I find it hard to believe, too. The 400 is 36". The 32"/300/intermediate does seem like the right size and would be if his ears were floppy.

PoetikDragon

The ears don't matter, his body matters.

okiron

I`ve only flown with a cat but every flight we`ve been on together they were more concerned with whether I was smuggling things in his carrier than whether he was in the right sized carrier. (technically he wasn`t. he`s too big for a regular cat carrier but I shoved him in there)

Crispy

To put some validity to @Heidi's concerns about the ears, the company I used did make a big deal about a puppy's ears touching the crate when I wanted to send him in the medium. He was sent in an intermediate. For a Kishu puppy.

WrylyBrindle

I think Brad and Jen have had the ears touching issue as well from airlines.

CrimsonO2

bastages...

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/animals/kennel.aspx

"Your pet's head or ear tips, whichever is higher, cannot touch the top of the crate. If your pet’s kennel does not provide enough room for your pet to stand and sit, without the head touching the top of the container, you will need to purchase a larger kennel before your pet can fly. Approved kennels may be available for sale at some United Cargo locations, in addition to many pet supply stores."

PoetikDragon

Almost every time I've flown with a dog, it was the first time the person behind the register had checked in a dog and I had to walk them through it. They didn't know the regulations, so one of two things happened: either they read it line by line word by word and were extremely picky, or they did a lot of stuff wrong and I had to remind them about it. Things like the metal bolts, hand releasable cable ties, where the labels go, and so-on. (By the way, no one has ever cared about the bolts, either.) It's a good idea to make sure you know all the regulations in detail either way, whether you get a picky person or someone who does it wrong.

I've had to argue about getting a dog on the plane twice. Once was the time mentioned above, when the plane could not accommodate a 500 crate; there was nothing we could do about that, we had to get another crate. The other time was when my vet didn't word the temperature acclimation letter clearly enough and they didn't think the dog could handle the cold weather (lol). That one we managed to convince them. I think I've seen seven or eight *different* ways they decide to zip tie the door closed and some are quite adamant about the way they want it done. But TSA handles that, not the owner or the airline.

I've sent three puppies with new owners as carry on that were clearly too big for the soft-sided sherpa carriers - all three on United - and they were never questioned about it once. I actually don't think it is possible for an 8 week old JA puppy to fit the regulations for carry on if followed strictly, since they would have to be no more than 9" to the top of their ears standing up - and they surpass that at about 4-5 weeks old easily. But I know many other breeders who have sent pups home this way without issue. I have no personal experience with any kind of concern about the ears, or know anyone else who has.

One thing to keep in mind for the ears - there's a huge difference between a dog standing with its head up and alert, as in a show stack, and with its neck forward like they would while running (or trying to look out of their crate) ... they naturally duck down even if they do stand up. But most of the time when we're at the airport our dogs are sitting and lying down anyway. They don't like standing in the crate, much like standing in a moving vehicle, it feels unsteady to them.

For example, compare the first silhouette with the second one or any on the bottom row:



I'm not saying disregard the regulation or that they wont notice. But I am saying that you should focus on the best overall fit for the dog. Too big is unsafe, so worry about what size the dog *actually* needs first and the nit picky regulations second.

Heidi

I'll be flying with Westjet, and now I can't even find the page where it mentions the ears. Here it says 2-3" clearance over the head. I guess if he looks like he's standing comfortably inside the kennel and his ears aren't touching, that's probably fine.

zandrame

FWIW, Saki, who is a large-ish female Shikoku, flew in a 36" crate.

Kibakaze

Hey @Heidi what kennel size did you go with and were you and westjet both happy with it? How tall is your dog to the shoulder?

When you flew how old was Sosuke and how was the experience? Did you wish you had arranged some sedative from the vet?

Heidi

I bought a 36" one, but I didn't end up flying with Sosuke. I drove instead and didn't end up bringing Sosuke for a variety of reasons. We'll see what happens next year.