Hi (again)
Hi everyone. My name is Wendy, i joined the forum a few years back hoping to learn more about the Kai. I've been reading all the posts in the Kai and behavior and training sections to get a better picture of the breed. I feel I learned a lot and I wanted to thank everyone for sharing, especially for the individual threads on their dogs. Those have been my favorite by far, very informative. I plan to post more now as last month I put in a deposit with yamabushi, so I should be getting a puppy next year. 
I'm really excited! Expect questions. Like would you say it's highly beneficial for the puppy to be picked up vs. Flown? I understand that if it can be swung, its good to pick them up, and that dogs are flown all the time, but do you think it was a big help in adjustment?
I'm really excited! Expect questions. Like would you say it's highly beneficial for the puppy to be picked up vs. Flown? I understand that if it can be swung, its good to pick them up, and that dogs are flown all the time, but do you think it was a big help in adjustment?
Comments
We have two shikoku. We flew both to California from Ohio. Our first one (Katsu) was about 4 months old when we got him. He didn't seem *too* bothered by the flight. He was definitely happy about being let out of the crate though. He adjusted to us fairly quickly. He has a rather independent personality though.
Our second one (Miyuki) was 9 weeks old when we got her. She was absolutely frozen with terror when we picked her up at the airport. Her breeder was really worried about her. When the breeder dropped her off at the airport, it seemed she was shutting down--not responding, not eating, not drinking. She was shaking when we opened the crate. It took her a few minutes to feel safe enough to walk out. It took her about 10 minutes to settle in with us. She eventually crawled into my lap and would shake on and off. I'd say the plane ride was a rather traumatic experience for her. It's been a few months since we got her. She's pretty well adjusted now. I don't think it has noticeably affected her in the long run, but I can't really be sure. She might be more attached to us because of it. She also hates car rides--she gets carsickness which is common among shikoku pups. I'm not sure if it's just because she gets carsick or if it also reminds her of being dropped off at the airport.
Anyways, I do always wish I went out to pick her up. I would have loved to meet her breeders and their dogs. It definitely would have made her feel safer/calmer on her journey here. If you're able to, I would definitely visit Yamabushi to pick up your pup! If the pup is small enough, I'm told they're allowed to fly in the cabin with you. Yamabushi looks like an especially nice kennel to visit. I follow Brad on instagram, and they look like they have an impressive number of animals.
Things to note if you're having your pup flown in: you might need scissors or something to cut the zip ties on the crate, you should bring a towel or blanket to wrap the pup up in, and be prepared if your puppy is in a bit of mess (literally -- the bodily fluid type).
I don't think there were any real adjustment issues to be made aside from the whole "new house and new people and new dogs" thing. She was fine! She was hungry though because she gobbled up her kibble the moment we got her home! The only thing that concerned me before flying her in, was I had heard that planes could damage their hearing, and she wasn't very attentive to sounds initially -- but turns out she just had puppy attention issues. So in the end, I don't know how valid that concern actually is. I was just being a worrisome new puppy owner. In retrospect I had no reason to hesitate. :P
If you go pick her up and fly with them, then if you have a soft sided kennel for under plane seats, they should be fine in there. Check with your airline to be sure. Alternatively you could pick the pup up in a car, yeah, though as mentioned shikoku do have a tendency to get car sick.
Do whatever is best for you personally, I think.
@emi802 I know, their kennel sounds amazing. I'm really gonna try and swing a trip out there this summer
Neither of them was dirty, but we took out the puppy pads in the crates and gave them a fresh towel for the ride home. Probably just depends on the individual!
As for risk, I've not seen any stats on this, but I'd wager that flying is statistically safer than driving for transporting dogs.
Inbetween flights I took her into the bathroom and laid out a puppy pad. During our layover she just sat on my lap and watched everyone, and slowly started to gain more confidence, licking everyone she met.
That is my experience with flying with a puppy! I rather enjoyed it. It was a little adventure.
We had our Kai pup flown in to us back in December, it was approximately a 8 hour flight with a lay over. I was super nervous that he would be traumatized. But in the end all turned out fine. He came right out of his crate and ate some food in the backseat of the car and started kissing us! He had peed in the crate due to the long travel time, so I brought some puppy grooming wipes with us just in case and we wiped him down. On the way home he sat in my lap looking out the window, when we arrived home he walked in like he owned the place and introduced himself to our two other dogs lol. Every puppy is different in how they react in odd situations.
Debbie our breeder from Hello Kennel had been prepping him for the trip by introducing him to his crate weeks before the trip which I think helped a lot him feel comfortable and secure since he associated the crate as a "safe place". I had reservations on flying a pup, but after talking with Brad and Jen from Yamabushi and then our breeder I felt reassured. In the end it worked out and I would do it again without fear.
I've imported puppies from Japan (flown in cargo), shipped puppies, and sent puppies with their owners in cabin, and sent puppies with their owner by car. I have also flown adults from Japan and all around the country and driven adults across country by RV and Prius. I've picked up friends at the airport with their dogs and sent them back home too. Easily over 50 flights and a dozen road trips combined. I haven't noticed a single difference in any of the various options. Being crate trained helps, not being afraid of strangers/noise helps, having bedding that can't get balled up in the corner of the crate helps (ie. we attached a puddle pad to a rigid piece of cardboard). As far as the dog is concerned it's in a crate that moves... it doesn't seem to matter the vehicle or surroundings outside the crate.