Hi, I am new and have a question, Thanks

Hi, My husband and I just put a deposit on our very first Cavalier and our first dog together. I am so excited to be getting her in about 3 weeks. We had my son go look at her and both my son and I asked tons of questions of the breeder before my husband and I said yes we want her. I have wanted a Cavalier for about 3 years now so this is very exciting to me.

I have one question. I will be flying the pup with me on Delta Airlines when the pup is about 12-13 weeks old. Will she still be small enough to go in a carrier under the seat. the Carriers I can find that fit their guidelines for that airplane at 17-18" L x 12" W x 10.5" H. I need to find out soon so I can reserve a place fore her either there with me or as "checked baggage. Thank you for any help you can give

Welcome to the form, and congratulations on joining the band of Cavalier lovers! Hopefully you have found a responsible breeder who does all the required health testing, most importantly MRI scan for CM/SM (Syringomyelia), heart testing (by a cardiologist), eye testing (by an ophthalmologist) and DNA testing for Dry eye/curly coat - a good breeder will be able to show certificates.
In answer to your question, although I've never flown with a Cavalier, yes, a puppy of that age will fit into a carrier of that size.

How long is the flight? It would be helpful if the breeder could train her to toilet on wee wee pads, then, if necessary, you can take her to the toilet and give her the opportunity to relieve herself.

Make sure you have water with you, and lots of safe things to chew, eg nylabones, a stuffed Kong etc

Good luck and we look forwards to seeing photos..

We have flown with a small cavalier adult in a Sherpa bag underneath the seat without any problems. This flight was from Virginia to Florida and not on Delta. It is essential to be sure that the airlines know about the pup way ahead of time and also at the time of check in. A health certificate is required, and be sure that you have the right kind of certificate for the airline.

Thank you for your replies. It is just so hard to tell how big she is now, I have a video of her and she is the same size as most of the other litter mates only one seems smaller than the rest, and judge how much bigger she will be before we fly out. The flight is from Minneapolis Minnesota to Seattle Washington. So it is about a 3 and a half hour flight. Do you suggest any of the products they sell that would help her stay calm? I have seen some online and I want her to have the best possible experience traveling but I don't know if these are anything that would be good for her or help her. I will have had her for about 2 weeks while visiting my son before we head back to Washington then to British Columbia Canada where I live. Puppy and I will stay at a friends one night after landing in Seattle before heading to my home. In those two weeks I plan to be crate training her and I know the breeder has told me that he starts with that himself before puppies leave his home.

Once I get her I will be posting photos cl*p

She will definitely fit under the seat. At 12-13 weeks old, my little guy was only 6 or 7 pounds and most airlines allow dogs up to 22 pounds to travel as a carry on. I would definitely not check her as baggage. There are quite a few horror stories out there from pet parents who have done this and found their pet seriously ill, hurt, or even dead at the end of a flight. Just do a google search--- crates left on the hot tarmac, cats and dogs that were let loose, kittens freezing in the luggage area of the plane because it is not climate controlled. Just horrible. Keep your new baby with you on the flight! Just buy a small, soft, airline approved crate. Petsmart and Petco both have some good options. If you ask for help and explain that you are flying with a puppy under ten pounds, most of the sales associates will have a pretty good idea of what crate will work. Also be sure to call the airline and make a pet reservation. There are limits on how many animals they can have on a single plane, so they need to know you will be bringing a puppy with you as a carry on. Also ask about health certificates as some airlines require them and others do not.

I flew with my cavalier pup when he was about 5 months old and he did fine. I gave him some Rescue Remedy drops which seemed to help. I also kept treats on hand and gave him one every once in awhile. I didn't feed him the morning we flew out so he wouldn't have to go potty, but cavalier pups are so small that it is easy for their blood sugar to drop. The treats will help prevent that. When the flight attendant comes by, ask for a cup of just ice. You can give her a couple of pieces to chew on, which she will love. It will also keep her hydrated without having to worry about a bowl of water sloshing around and getting everything wet. You might also keep some filled puppy Kongs on hand... if she starts to whine, give her one.

Good luck! I bet she is going to be a doll!

Thanks Phaines. I had already done my homework talking to the airline so I would know how big a carrier I was just not sure if she would fit into it I can't tell by the photos or the video how big she really is now. I have her booked on my return flight as of the other day flying in the cabin with me. As to health certificates I need one for her to go from Seattle to Victoria British Columbia where I live so I knew I needed that as well. I assume I need a Rabies Shot for her since she will be just over 12 weeks old and traveling internationally am I right? Thanks for the tips on not feeding her but giving her bits as we fly to keep her happy and all.

We have named her Mercy. My plan is to train her to be a therapy dog who can encourage patients in hospitals, nursing homes and school kids who struggle with reading as I know those programs exist and I would love to have her and I be a part of them.

I am not sure how to add a photo or I would show a photo of her about 2 weeks ago when she was about 5 1/2 weeks old. If I figure it out I will send one.

Thanks again for your supportive answers to my questions.

I flew with Oz from Chicago to Tucson, AZ when he was 3 months old. That was close to a 4 hour flight and he was amazing. Nobody knew he was under the seat in front of me, he was that quiet. I brought little snacks, but he didn't need them. I think the loud hum of the airplane put him to sleep. O'Hare has a grassy area outside of baggage claim so after I checked in I took him down there to pee and then carried him through security. I also carried him in my arms through the airport and not one person told me to put him in his carrying case. I have also flown with Riley at least a dozen times and have always carried her too. However, when I get to my destination, I keep them in their case, but let them poke their heads out. I'm afraid if I let them out, they might pee on the floor. So I then racewalk outside and let them pee before I go back in and get my luggage. Remember, they count as a carryon. Another tip is to get a purse that will go across your body. That way you won't be fussing with it falling off your shoulder. I've never needed health certificates, but I've only flown domestically with them. The only thing they consistently do is weigh the dog and case together, but with a 12-13 week old, you're fine. Good luck. You're going to have so much fun!!!

Thank you "Love my Cavaliers... I am so looking forward to it. Earlier this month we spent a couple days at one of my brothers he happens to have a Cavalier who is about 4 yrs old now and it was so nice to be around a dog again, I have not had a dog in about 9 years although we have a cat and I had other cats before we married 2 years ago, sadly my cat got very ill and I had to put her down not long after getting married. My brother's Cavalier is very much like the characteristics you read about them so I am hoping that we have the same with our little girl.

I was wondering if I would have to have her in the carrier all the time in the airport nice to know that I can carry her outside the carrier for at least part of my time there. We have a 3 hr drive to the airport but I am not flying until mid afternoon so my thought is to drive almost to the airport find a place to take her out and let her play and run, on a leash of course, to get some energy out and to potty then head to the airport. I am use to Seattle airport where they want you to be 2 hrs early but the agent I talked to when I booked (Mercy) to fly with me said 1 hour is good. Did you find you needed more time to go through checking her in and getting through security than an hour?

I never needed more than one hour. As soon as I check in at the counter, I walk really quickly downstairs so that they can pee and then right back in again and through security. O'Hare is a really busy airport too with long security lines at times. I just hold them in my arms the entire time I am in the security line, with the leash on in case I need to put them down. By the time I get through security and then to my gate, I have always had time before they boarded. Just try to be organized in terms of where your boarding pass and ID are so you can get to them easily and wear shoes that you can take off and put on easily. Ditto for a sweater or jacket if you need one. I have found that people love seeing dogs, especially puppies while they're waiting in security lines. You may have more people than you want asking if they can pet Mercy! You will have to put her in her carry case to board the plane though. My dogs never minded it. It was their cue to go to sleep.

So I am flying with Mercy on Thursday. I have been in town visiting my son and decided not to get her until right before leaving. Breeder and I both decided it would be better for her not to spend 2 weeks with me here then go home by plane and ferry after getting use to one place. I have visited her twice now and she is such a love bug. I am hoping that the flight is not too much for her. I did buy a soft sided carrier that I can place under the seat, she does seem small enough for that to me, and I got some calming drops for her as well as toys. I took the toys to the breeders for her to be playing with so she would have something familiar to her as well as a towel of mine that they have placed in her carrier which they have also been having her use per my request. She is 12 weeks old now and already as a bit of my heart :l*v:

It is amazing how quickly they just work their into your lives and then before you know it you can't imagine living without them. Good luck on Thursday and then have fun at home!

This is my third attempt to write and post an update, kept losing it icon_whistling
So Mercy and I made it home on Friday. She was a real trooper that’s for sure. It started with a 3.5 hour drive to the airport. For the first half hour or so she was in my lap but when I placed her on the floor in front of me she crawled up and went to sleep. Such a good puppy When we got to the airport, about 2 hours before our flight I gave her some calming solution that I got for traveling, since she had slept so much of the drive I was afraid she might get a bit hyper on the plane. I did not have to put her in the carrier until I had it settled on the plane I did hold her and she had people petting her, good for socializing I figured. She did well on the flight. After about 2 hours she did start to move around some so I gave her the kong I had stuffed this helped for a while. After that I would pet her from time to time to let her know she was doing great. I think the only person who knew she was there was the person next to me and maybe the person next to them. I know others saw her before boarding but no one said anything to me. In fact a flight attendant as I was walking off with her head sticking out said they did not know a dog was on board J good girl Mercy I say. There was another 1.5 hour drive once we were off the plane. We stopped by a friends and Mercy visited with 2 old dogs, ages 13+ and nearly 16. She just followed them around and they were good with her.

Mercy and I spent a night with a different friend that did not have dogs and got up early in the morning to finish our trip home. We had a one hour drive to the ferry and a 3 hour ferry ride. On the ferry since I was a walk on passenger she was allowed on the cabin deck in her carrier inside and on her leash outside. I did both during this leg of the trip. A ferry worker saw that I had her in the carrier inside and told me I could take her out as long as I held her so that was nice. Mercy got attention from a few adults and a 4 year old child. This little boy loved her and after seeing her with his father brought his mother to come visit. Big brother is afraid of all dogs but he too came by as they were going down to their car at the end of the ride. My husband met us at the ferry and I think fell in love with her right away. We had one last drive of an hour to be all the way home.

Mercy and our cat, Jasper, are learning to be good with each other. Not had any hissing or growling but we are watching closely since Jasper is a good hunter and we don’t want her hurt in any way. Mercy has settled in very well. No accidents. She sleeps all night and once awake about 6 AM I take her out, then if I take her out about every 2 hours she will go. We live in a motor home so we have put up a door to the bedroom and usually keep the bathroom door closed she has the run of the rest of the place unless I am sleeping or gone then she has her kennel. So Far So Good! cl*p:l*v: