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What Happens If My Dog Barks on a Plane? Let’s See

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Author: Jeanette Hampton

Embark on a journey into the dynamics of flying with a barking dog. Uncover the potential challenges and considerations for dog owners, exploring the impact of canine vocalizations on fellow passengers during air travel.

What If My Dog Barks on a Plane
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Key Takeaways

  • Flying with a barking dog may lead to complaints from passengers.
  • Understanding airline policies, preparing your dog, and using calming aids can mitigate disruptions.
  • Prioritize consideration for fellow travelers to ensure a smoother and more pleasant flight experience.

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What Happens If Your Dog Barks On A Plane?

Even for humans, the first flight experience must have been a little terrifying. So of course it just going to be terrifying for your pooch.

Your barking dog may be a problem for some passengers and for some dog lovers, it may not. Let us see other possible results if you take your dog on an aeroplane with you.

Complaints From Passengers

It is obvious for any passenger to react when a dog keeps barking during travelling. Some passengers may want to sleep, some want to read, or there can be any reason.

In this situation, passengers will be going to complain when your dog keeps barking and also they are not totally wrong. In this case, do not feel embarrassed and do not get panic. First, try to keep your dog calm, at the same time ask your flight attendant for help handling other passengers until you manage to calm your dog.

You can check here to learn how to keep calm a nervous pet on – How To Stop A Dog Whining On A Plane?

Relocated To Another Seat

In case you fail to keep your dog quiet, then there are chances that the flight attendant will relocate your seat to another place. When they ask you to shift your place to another place, you should not argue, just follow their instructions. Relocation is one of the best possible solutions.

You May Be Ask To Muzzle Your Dog

If you are not able to quiet your dog even after changing your seat, then they can ask you to muzzle your dog. The muzzle is good for aggressive dogs and those who are not sure that their dog will get quiet.

Muzzle Your Dog
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When you muzzle your dog, it cannot bark and bite someone, so it will be also a safe option for those who have an aggressive dog and they have to travel on public transport.

Removed From The Plane

During departure, if your dog keeps barking after you tried everything to keep him calm, then you may be asked to leave the plane. This will happen only when the flight attendant feels like you will not be able to handle your dog.

But the chances of happening this are very low. They are well-trained and well-experienced. when this situation occurs they will guide you and also give you some time to handle your dog.

And in the end, if you and your flight attendant fail to keep your dog quiet, then they do not have another option but to remove you from the plane.

Refused Entry On Connecting Flights

If your dog has been constantly barking on the last flight and you got many complaints. Because of that, for the safe and peaceful journey of another flight passenger, you will be refused for your next flight to get on board with your dog.

How To Prevent Your Dog Barking On A Plane?

Until now you must know what are the possibilities of taking your dog on a plane. But you should prevent it if anything wrong happens. You can start by keeping your dog calm and relaxed. It is normal for dogs to get anxious and stressed when they enter a new environment.

During takeoff and landing, you cannot do anything if your dog is barking, but when you are in the sky, you can do several things to make him stop barking. let us see them one by one. I wish you all the best and hope all these suggestions will work for you and that you have a happy journey.

Use A Dog Muzzle

When you know that you have an aggressive dog that barks all the time, you should keep a muzzle with you in case he keeps barking and you may not able to make him stop barking.

There are many types of muzzles available in the market. You should keep that kind of muzzle in which your dog can eat and drink but cannot bark.

Tieing the muzzle is a very easy process. You only need to put it in his mouth and fasten it tightly.

Use A Dog Hoodie

Use A Dog Hoodie for dog
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Dog’s ears are highly sensitive. “According to Stanley Coren, when sounds are between 3,000 and 12,000 Hz in frequency, dogs’ ears are far more sensitive than ours. They can hear those sounds when they are between -5 dB and -15 dB on average. That means dogs can hear sounds that are not loud enough for our ears.” stated in American Kennel Club.

Especially cabin pressure and the constant noise of the plane are very discomforting for dogs. But they cannot figure out what is happening to them. And because of that, they start barking. Therefore, a dog hoodie will protect their ears and save them from loud noises.

I would suggest that you should have a dog hoodie when you are travelling by air with your dog.

Try Doggy Treats

Treats! most dog-related problems can be solved by treats. Giving treats to your dog will totally gain his attention and you will able to control your dog. Traets can buy you a few minutes to control your dog.

Now if you see your dog stopped barking when you gave him a treat, that doesn’t mean you should keep giving treats throughout the journey. Instead, try to keep him calm. Otherwise, too much eating or drinking again creates the issue of poop and pee.

Keep Your Dog Busy

If you are not able to keep your dog quiet, at least try to keep him busy by providing them with their favourite toys and chewing bones. Those are indeed great distractions they can almost forget everything.

But still, if your dog is barking, you should again consider a dog muzzle and hoodie.

Give Them A Sedative

When you do not want to bother and simply want to keep your journey happy, you can use sedatives. Sedatives are pills, which will calm and make your dog more relaxed.

 A Sedative dog
Olga Ovcharenko – Istock

Before giving a sedative pill, make sure that the airline you choose will allow the sedative dogs. As most airlines will not allow sedative dogs. Moreover, you can not give any medication to your dog, without consulting your vet.

Try Voice Commands

If you have trained your dog to obey your command, then it will be very easy to keep your dog quiet. So whenever your dog starts barking, you just try to give the command of “Stop”.

Now there are some things you should do before you take flight with your dog.

Before You Fly With Your Dog

Before boarding a plane with your furry friend, it’s crucial to be well-prepared. Also have a checklist of must-haves should be handy, including an airline-approved carrier, chewy bone or toy, food and water, dog blankets, wet wipes, poop bags, air freshener (non-spray), dog muzzle, and dog hoodie.

If you have doubts about what happens if my dog barks on a plane then just follow the guidance which I have mentioned.

FAQs

What can I give my dog to keep him calm while flying?

To help calm your anxious dog, you can try a combination of strategies, such as using a swaddling shirt like the Thundershirt or a pheromone-calming collar, as well as providing a favourite toy or blanket and talking to your veterinarian about the possibility of prescription anxiety medicine.

Do dogs freak out on planes?

It is very unusual to experience for dogs. The air pressure, cabin noise, narrow place to stay, and motion sickness will make their journey a horrible experience for dogs.

How stressful is flying for dogs in the cabin?

Some dogs pass their air journey like they are doing it every day. While some dogs it is like a nightmare, they suffer so much stress and anxiety in the cabin. Also, they sometimes feel lonely when they are in a cargo or cabin.

Dog muzzles that allow drinking?

There are several types of dog muzzles available in the market. They come with different types of needs according to the needs of their owner. There are muzzles in which dogs cannot bark, drink, or eat. And there is also the type of muzzle through which dogs can not bark, but they can eat and drink.

Is there any alternative to muzzling for dogs?

A Halti is a type of muzzle that resembles a bridle collar used for horses. It is often used as an alternative to strict collars and noise-restricting options and is primarily used in place of a collar, utilizing a halter instead.

Conclusion

I believe that it is a little bit difficult for you to take your dog on an aeroplane due to several reasons. Dogs take time to get used to a new environment. And for that reason, you must be worried that what happens if my dog barks on a plane. You do not want to get embarrassed on your air journey, do you? Therefore, I would personally suggest you must keep three things. His muzzle, hoodie, and treats.

In the end, you can not know whether your dog will bark on a plane or not and what happens if my dog barks on a plane? the only thing you can do is prepare yourself and your dog to get on board.

Reference:

  1. Schade, V. (2023, January 13). How to Train Your Dog Not to Bark. BeChewy. Retrieved February 28, 2024, from https://be.chewy.com/how-to-train-dog-not-to-bark/
  2. RBVH Temp. (2014, April 9). How to Make a Muzzle Using Your Pet’s Leash. YouTube. Retrieved February 28, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFVvw6Q2Vw
  3. D. (2023, February 27). Reactive Dog Training Tips. Dog Academy. Retrieved February 28, 2024, from https://dogacademy.org/blog/reactive-dog-training/
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About
Jeanette Hampton
Jeanette Hampton is a content writer at WWD and an expert on all things pets. She’s been writing pet blogs for over 5 years and knows everything there is to know about dogs. Jeanette enjoys writing about pet-related topics because she enjoys helping people learn more about their furry friends.

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