Steven, from Arizona and a proud owner of 4 Miniature Schnauzers, recently asked us about our travel exerience with Kaiser. We decided to fly with our Schnauzer on Delta from San Diego to Atlanta last Thanksgiving. We brough him on board and used a soft crate designed to fit under the seat of an airplane. We consulted our vet before traveling and followed his recommendations by giving Kaiser a sedative. This really helped and Kaiser basically slept the whole way.
He was never able to fully stand upright in the kennel, but was able to turn around fully, due to the flexibility of the crate, and get comfortable. If your dog is too big then you may have to check them under the plane. Summertime has different restrictions than winter, and short nosed dogs are really susceptible to overheating when checked. All carriers have different fees, most cost at least a couple hundred dollars.
The crate we used doesn’t seem to have a brand name on it anywhere so we can’t recommend it by name, but it cost about $30 at the local pet store. We pulled it out today to give some details on it, and Kaiser really seems to miss it. He actually climbed inside. This is amazing because we had to turn him backwards and kind of push him in there when we traveled. One last thing, make sure to have a dress rehearsal the night before to familiarize your pet with their crate and it’s confinements.
I remember this thing…
Not as bad as I remembered.
Schnauzer Air Travel Posts:
Tags: airplane, Kaiser, Miniature Schnauzer, Travel, vet
April 15th, 2009 at 3:21 am
Baths just aren’t fun, I agree.
When I get out of the bath I run around the house like a crazy dog too!
April 15th, 2009 at 3:21 am
Oops, that’s supposed to be on the post below!!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Bella is should be a frequent flier mile holder. She’s been on lots of airplane rides, and does just fine. Luckily she is still small enough to fit under the seat and last year we got her a bag on wheels that has the telescoping handle, and can also be a backpack. She likes this bag better (we had a similar model to yours – a “sherpa”) because when we are moving through the airport she can sit up comfortably and watch the people go by, but she still feels safe. I was worried at first that the bag was too big because the airline’s who allow pets in the cabin have size restrictions, but no one measures… and no one has ever asked for a health certificate either now that I think about it!
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:23 am
How big is Kaiser? We have a mini schnauzer named Ellis who needs to fly with us in the summer, and I’d really like to take him on-board with us if I can. I think he may be a little too big for the Sherpa crates, though, he’s on the larger size for a mini (about ~20-21 lbs).
Ellis hates being bathed, too. I think it’s a schnauzer thing. He also makes the same ‘snuffling’ sounds when we put him in a bed/crate that yours does in that video.
If anyone has any pointers, please drop me an email at chejrw (at) gmail.com
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
We haven’t weighed Kaiser in some time now, but I would guess he was close to 15 lbs when we took him on the plane. He can still fit in his crate today, but he would be slightly cramped. I would rather him deal with smaller confinements though instead of making him ride below the cabin. I guess it just comes down to the length of your flight. Giving Kaiser a sedative certainly helped as he slept through the majority of the flight.
November 15th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I have a 17 lb mini schnauzer Gracie who I was thinking to bring with me on vacation, and would love to hear any more experiences from Kaiser and Ellis (who was a bit larger). She is a calm dog and I think would likely do well in a carrier like Kaiser has. Do you happen to know the dimensions of it?
February 21st, 2010 at 9:47 am
I want to take Hans on a flight. He’s on the big side 21pds. I’m worried he’s to big. His legs are a little long. I did get the acepromazine from the vet. I also got the large sherpa carrier with wheels. he does seemed cramped in it though. How long does the ACE last? and what are the results you’ve had?
February 21st, 2010 at 11:52 am
@Lisa, Kaiser’s medication lasted around 10 hours. He’s really groggy after the flight for a couple hours. We’ve flown with Kaiser on about a half dozen flights now, and each time has been trouble free. Good luck with your travel, and we’d love to see a pic of Hans.
-GoSchnauzer
GoSchnauzer -at- Gmail -dot- com
May 15th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
We’re going on a 5 hour flight and taking our mini schnauzer, Rusty. He weighs around 20 lbs and is on the taller side. We tried putting him in a large Sherpa carrier – he fits but he can’t fully stand up and a bit cramped. I’d feel more comfortable having him with us in the cabin but I’m afraid that the airline won’t take him with the carrier. Should I use a kennel instead? Any thoughts?
September 14th, 2010 at 10:50 am
I plan to take my 5 month old schnauzer in the cabin. I bought a Sherpa medium. It is cramped but she can turn around and lie in it. Since Kaiser has gone on lots of trips what are you using for the carrier now that he outgrew the first Sherpa carrier.
January 3rd, 2011 at 11:41 am
Thank you so much for this post on traveling with a Schnauzer. I have wanted to get a mini schnauzer for years but my husband wasn’t on board because he wanted a bigger dog. I finally convinced him partly because of this post; we typically travel across the country for 2 weeks over the holidays and not having to board the dog was a plus. We’ve just gotten back from traveling with our Schnauzer Murphy. We were a bit concerned because at 6 months he’s already just over 20lb, so he’s a bit big for a mini. We used a large sherpa bag and had a sedative from the vet. Murphy hated the bag so we keep it out in our house with his toys this way he has to enter it to get his toys. It’s definitely a tight fit for him in the bag but he is able to turn around though definitely no standing up. We had no issues with security and on our first flight we actually were able to hold him in our lap (inside the bag) for the entire trip. On the return trip we put him under the seat which he seemed to like better, moving very little and seemed to settle right down and sleep- we think maybe the enclosed space is quieter and the smaller space even made him feel more at ease. We flew southwest and it was a great experience that I would definitely repeat. Our flight back was over 5 hours and we even kept him in the bag until we got back to our house because he seemed so content in it.
July 28th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Thank god for all these posts! I am traveling with my pooch Dino, and he along with many of your dogs is on the larger side! He is just about 20lbs, and can’t stand in the sherpa carrier! he doesn’t seem to like it, but I was thinking about giving him benadryl because my flight is only 2 hours.. Is this a good idea? Or should I go to the vet? If he could, Dino would sit upright like a person or lay in my arms like a baby! He sometimes seems to forget he is a dog, he would be more comfortable playing “human” for the flight!