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Before reaching for Metamucil for dogs, discuss the symptoms your dog is showing with your veterinarian to ensure the problem is simple enough for Metamucil or pumpkin to help. Credit: Kateryna Kukota / Getty Images
You can use Metamucil for dogs to combat minor gastrointestinal upsets, like diarrhea and constipation. Along with canned pumpkin, Metamucil is one of the vet-recommended home remedies for dog anal glands problems.
Metamucil is an over-the-counter psyllium fiber supplement designed for people. A plain psyllium product without flavors or sweeteners of any kind is the only psyllium for your dog—but you need to be especially careful here, as it can be very difficult to find unflavored, unsweetened psyllium products in your local grocery store. It may be wise to choose a psyllium product made for dogs.
You may wonder about Metamucil vs. pumpkin as an option to add fiber to your dog’s meals. Both help with constipation and diarrhea in dogs, which sounds contradictory, but they both add fiber, and therefore bulk, to the stool. Fiber eases constipation by stimulating the bowel muscle and draws in fluid to help bowel movements flow more easily. For diarrhea, fiber firms up stool and slows the transit time in the intestines.
The Metamucil dosage for dogs is up to 1 teaspoon (tsp) twice a day for dogs of 50 lbs. Medium dogs of 35 to 50 pounds should get no more than ½ tsp, and small dogs are best at ¼ tsp maximum. Start low and raise the amount to find the lowest effective dose for your dog. It is extremely important that your dog has excess to plenty of fresh water and is drinking that water, if you give any psyllium fiber product like Metamucil.
Dosages for plain (no added spices) canned pumpkin are: for small dogs, 1 heaping tsp canned pumpkin per meal; for medium dogs, 1 heaping tablespoon (tbsp) canned pumpkin per meal; and for larger dogs, 2 heaping tbsp canned pumpkin per meal.
Adding fiber is generally a simple, safe way to help your dog over a bout of diarrhea or constipation. However, with many potentially serious causes of both, it’s important to check with your veterinarian. For example, if your dog has an intestinal blockage—and both diarrhea and constipation are possible symptoms—giving Metamucil won’t help and may make things worse.
Be Careful with Psyllium Products
Read the ingredients carefully. Many flavored versions contain the artificial sweetener xylitol, which can be fatally toxic to dogs.
Provide lots of water and be sure your dog is drinking it.
Consult your veterinarian before starting psyllium supplementation.
Should you shave your dog? Well, most dogs don’t need to be shaved—and there are dog breeds that should not be shaved it can be necessary. First, though, it’s important to understand why shaving is not generally recommended for dogs.
Evolutionary Wonders
Your dog’s coat protects his skin from the elements. Long, harsh guard hairs deflect rain and slip right through brambles, while a dense, soft undercoat provides insulation from both heat and cold. If the hair isn’t matted or tangled, air can move freely through the layers of the coat to provide ventilation. The dog will shed excess undercoat in the summer to help free up additional space for airflow and bulk up again for extra warmth in the winter.
Dog breeds selected for companionship often have longer or softer coats that are more pleasant to pet and attractive to look at, but they are also higher maintenance. Dog breeds developed to serve a working purpose, such as herding, hunting, and sled dogs, typically have a more natural coat that protects the dog from harm.
Dog Breeds That Should Not Be Shaved
A full-body shave is not necessary for most dogs. Shaving a double-coated dog, such as a Samoyed, German Shepherd Dog, or even Golden Retriever, is generally not a good idea. Shaving removes the insulation his body is used to and exposes the skin to the sun, sticks, and branches.
Shaving a dog’s coat to the skin can damage hair follicles, increasing the risk of ingrown hairs, and potentially alter the texture of the hair.
Instead of shaving your dog, brush him regularly. This removes dead hair, promotes healthy skin, and enables good air flow through the coat. This is the best way to help most dogs stay cool in the summer (as well as providing water and shade, of course!).
When Shaving Is Needed
Shaving your dog may be necessary in some situations:
Thick mats or tangles that would be painful to remove by hand
Hot spots and skin infections
Medical procedures like surgery or placing a catheter
Health or behavioral conditions that alter the skin and coat or prevent normal grooming
If you have a dog with a thick, dense, or long coat and live somewhere with hot, humid summers, shaving his belly may help with cooling. Shave his underside to provide extra ventilation, leaving the coat on his back and sides to protect him from the sun.
Dogs with continuously growing hair, such as Poodles and Poodle mixes, and dogs with extremely long hair, such as Shih Tzu and Cocker Spaniels, do benefit from regular haircuts. Trimming that long, soft hair to a shorter length prevents tangles if you aren’t up for daily grooming. But, still, shaving down to the skin is still not necessary for a healthy dog.
Are there breeds you love and breeds you don’t get the appeal of? I think we all do – though I would be the first to admit that there are always exceptions to any rule. I love Border Collies – but I’ve met individual ones that aggravated me. And I am generally not a fan of German Shorthair Pointers (or Wirehaired Pointers, for that matter), but one of the sweetest, funniest GSPs is in my extended family and I adore her.
In my opinion, hunting dogs in general are some of the prettiest dogs there are. But if they come from a long line of hunters, I tend to find it annoying to walk with them. I enjoy walking with my dogs, interacting with them, racing and playing with them, and watching them scan and joyfully take in their environment. I do not enjoy feeling like I have to prevent the dog I am walking with from scanning the environment for small creatures that they might be able to kill. As such, I love hounds – but only the ones who aren’t into hunting!
I was raised around dogs who were bred to herd cattle – Kelpies and Australian Cattle Dogs and various mixes of these – but I tend not to enjoy the intensity, grit, and independence that these dogs are known for. However, I have lots of friends who enjoy them for those traits alone; some people prefer having somewhat aloof dogs who can take care of themselves without a lot of fuss.
I was an adult before I was introduced to the typically softer, more responsive Border Collie – still a herding breed, but one that tends to be more attuned to humans, more solicitous of our affection and approval than the tougher dogs bred to take the hard knocks of cattle herding. My BC Rupert, a “pet quality” pup who was practically given away (in contrast to his high-cost, sheep-herding prospect littermates), opened my heart forever to these sensitive and quirky dogs.
But as much as I admire purpose-bred dogs, I don’t want one for myself. I’m afraid I’m always going to be a mutt lover. I love big mutts and I cannot lie! I get such a kick out of trying to guess what mixed-breed puppies will look like– how big they will be! – when they mature. And I love trying to identify what breed their personality traits and tendencies may be attributable to – if any! My two most muttliest mutts – the two dogs that show the most breeds in their mixed-breed DNA tests – don’t show any particular traits that align with any breeds at all!
Are there breeds you’d never own? Do you always get dogs of the same breed? Or do you select dogs without regard to their breed?
Dogs dig in their beds for many reasons, but behaviorists say the No. 1 reason dogs dig in their beds is instinct. It’s what Mother Nature tells them to do before they lie down.
The instinct to dig, scratch, or circle comes from the days—centuries ago—when dogs were wild. They had to scratch at the ground to form a bed of some kind, to get comfortable, to get warm or cool, and to check for predators like snakes and spiders. So, it’s normal, but sometimes a dog’s bed scratching or digging can become obsessive and require trainer or veterinary intervention.
Dogs dig at their beds or yours for other reasons, too. The most common other reason is believed to be their need to mark their territory, through glands in their footpads that say, “This is my bed!”
This is especially true if you have more than one dog using the same bed. Remember, dogs have very sensitive noses, and they can tell if another dog has been there. A dog checking a scent is like us reading the newspaper—it’s where he gets information on what’s been happening. Instinct then tells the dog to dig and scratch to erase the other dog’s scent.
Another common reason dogs scratch in beds is that they’re looking for toys or food. Or they could be just curious about what might be hidden in that bed because they previously found a treasure.
Expert theories also state digging in a bed could be a frustrated response to not being allowed to do something else, like going outside, chewing on something, or barking because someone rang the doorbell. They could be seeking attention, and they know scratching will get a response from you—a laugh or a shout to stop.
Finally, old dogs are thought to scratch the bed because some part of their body hurts, and they just want the bed to be more comfortable. And they sometimes circle in the bed. Don’t worry about that either. It’s also natural.
The short answer to how hot is too hot for dogs is, it depends, but if you think it’s hot your dog thinks it’s hot.
Right away, let’s be clear about things that are too hot for dogs: There is no excuse for leaving your dog in a locked car on a hot day. A car, with all its windows up, in 70°F weather heats up to 100° in 25 minutes, according to the National Weather Service. That’s too hot for any dog. So, if the temperature is, or is going to be, more than 70 degrees, leave your dog at home.
Dogs, unlike humans, can only sweat through their pads (feet). They cool down almost exclusively by panting, or exchanging heat with their environment, which is not efficient. So, when the ambient or surrounding temperature is overly hot, dogs have difficulty cooling themselves. A dog’s tongue will lengthen and widen in an attempt to maximize its cooling capability.
That means that the temperature dogs can endure also depends on the humidity, because they can’t exchange heat as well if it’s humid. Outside, a dog in the deserts of California or Nevada (where the humidity is less than 10% on hot summer afternoons) can withstand a higher temperature than a dog in Virginia or New Jersey (where the humidity is 90% or higher in the summer).
A dogs’ comfort in heat also depends on other factors: their breed (brachycephalic breeds like Pugs, Bulldogs, and Boxers, as well as northern breeds with thick coats, like Malamutes, do far less well in heat), age, obesity, lack of shade or water, fitness, and type of exercise are important. But, just as with humans, it also depends on the individual.
A dog’s normal body temperature is 101 to 102.5°. If their body temperature exceeds 105°, and they aren’t otherwise sick, they are suffering from potentially fatal heatstroke, which can cause lethargy, their gums to turn bright red, excessive panting, and even vomiting or diarrhea.
What should you do if your dog gets too hot? First, move him somewhere cooler, like to shade or an air-conditioned room or the car AC. If available, put him in a cool pool or tub of water or hose him with cool—not icy cold—water, focusing on his groin area, feet, and neck (you can wet his entire coat if you want, but most of that water will just roll off). Offer frequent sips of water. If he still doesn’t cool down, he needs to go to the veterinarian.
A good guide is, “If you think it’s hot, it’s too hot for your dog.”
The ultimate goal of any “leave it” exercise is teaching your dog that he can glance at something in his environment that he finds stressful or exciting, but that if he then looks back at you, you will reinforce that very good choice very richly. The Engage - Disengage game teaches him to do this without a “leave it” cue from you. Photo by Jennifer Burns
Almost 20 years into my dog training career, “Leave it” is probably one of the cues that I say the least – and yet, how to train a dog to “leave it” is one of the most-wanted behaviors that people wish their dogs could learn. Why do I not teach the use of a “leave it” cue? Because by the time you can even verbalize the word “Leave,” your dog has likely already made the decision to go for whatever “it” is; the cue is often too delayed. Moreover, the “leave it” cue is often over-used and under-rewarded.
Over-use of a cue leads to learned irrelevance – which means that the cue means nothing to the dog – or an unreliable behavior, with the dog deciding each time he’s been cued whether it’s more rewarding to just go for “it” than to “leave it.” I often see people repeating “Leave it! Leave it! Leave it!” – and when the dog does leave it, I rarely see the dog rewarded for his effort.
But “leave it” is absolutely a valuable skill for dogs to have in their behavioral repertoire. Instead of teaching it with a verbal cue, though, I teach it by using the sight of the stimulus (the trigger, object of interest, or thing that you want the dog to “leave”) as the dog’s cue to disengage with the thing and check back in with you.
For example, to teach a dog to not chase a bird, I use the sight of a bird as the cue to check back in with me. In my experience, teaching “leave it” this way is more successful than with a verbally cued “leave it.”
Identify the goal or end-game behavior you want
As with all training, the first step is to be clear about the behavior you want your dog to display in a given situation – the “end game” or target behavior. For example, when my dog sees a bird, I want him to disengage from the bird – to refrain from chasing it – and make eye contact with me. My goal is to build and reinforce a “check in with me” behavior that will replace his natural response of fixating and chasing birds that he sees. However, I want my dog to offer the check-in behavior without any cues from me; in this case, ultimately, the cue will be the sight of a bird.
Eye Spy: Teaching your dog to check in with you
To teach this, I start by playing a game called “Eye Spy.” To play, start indoors, with your dog in front of you. Place a small (pea-sized) treat halfway between you and your dog and centered between your feet and their paws. Allow your dog to eat the treat and wait, watching your dog. Almost always, your dog will look at you for more information: “Are there more treats?”
The moment your dog makes eye contact with you, mark it with a clicker or the marker of your choice (such as the word “Yes!”) and then place another treat in the same spot as before. You want the treat between the two of you, so that it’s easy for your dog to take the treat and then look up at you. This prompts a pattern: Your dog looks down (at the treat) and then up (at you), down, up, etc., on repeat.
Keep marking (click or “Yes!”) and putting treats down and repeat about 10 times. Now try the exercise in three new locations.
Teach the first step of “Engage-Disengage” (Engage)
This is step one of the “Engage-Disengage” exercise. We approach a novel stimulus (in this case, a pet pig) at a distance close enough to capture our dog’s attention, but far enough so he’s not already over-threshold with excitement. He’ll naturally look at the stimulus, and when he does so, we mark that moment of engagement with the click of a clicker or a verbal marker, such as “Yes!” Photo by Jennifer Burns.
Next, teach your dog to “engage” as the first part of the classic “Engage-Disengage” game (also known as “Look at That”). I prefer to use a novel stimulus to initially teach this, but you can use anything your dog is unfamiliar with. This could be a kid’s toy, a remote-controlled car, or even food on a paper plate. In this game, to “engage” means to look calmly at a novel stimulus.
With your dog on a leash in front of you, place (or have a helper place) the novel stimulus perpendicular to where you are, so that your dog must swivel his head 90 degrees to look at it. You can do a “temperature check” at this point (see sidebar below) or you can wait for your dog to look at the novel stimulus. Either way, mark the moment that your dog looks at the stimulus (click or “Yes!”), and then feed your dog a treat in the opposite direction – ideally by tossing the reward away. By tossing the treat away from the stimulus, you start to add “movement away from the stimulus” as part of the target behavior.
At this juncture, use a 1:1 ratio of reward to behavior for each time your dog looks at the stimulus; this means your dog will receive one reward every time he looks at the stimulus. As with the Eye Spy game, mark each behavior (looking at the stimulus) and feed for position (give him a treat in the opposite direction as the stimulus). Repeat for a minimum of two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.
The second phase of Engage-Disengage (Disengage)
When you mark the moment that your dog looks at the stimulus, he’ll naturally look back at you with a “Where’s my treat?” expression. Feed him a treat (or toss it away from the stimulus). Note that if you are too close to the stimulus, it might be difficult for your dog to disengage from the stimulus, so back up! Photo by Jennifer Burns
When your dog can engage with a novel stimulus consistently and reliably, start withholding the marker for two to three seconds. When your dog looks at the stimulus, wait two to three seconds before doing anything. If your dog checks in with you (looks at you), reward him for disengaging with the novel stimuli – but now, rather than rewarding him on a 1:1 ratio (one behavior = one treat), use an average ratio of 1:5 (one behavior = an average of 5 treats, fed consecutively, one after another).
How do you give your dog an “average” number of treats? If you give him three treats consecutively this time and seven the next time, it averages out to about five treats per behavior. You want the behavior of disengaging with the stimuli and checking in with you to be, on average, five times more reinforcing than it is to look at the novel stimulus.
If your dog does not check back in with you, take a few steps away from the stimulus and try again, starting with the 1:1 behavior:treat ratio. The same process will apply when you take this outdoors into the real world. If you are too close to the tempting or distracting stimulus, it will be more difficult for your dog to take his eyes off of it and look at you instead. Distance is what I refer to as the “X factor” – it can make or break the outcome of a situation.
Taking Engage-Disengage into the real world
When your dog is ready to take this exercise to the next step, identify which stimulus you plan to address. Is it birds, squirrels, dogs, or something else that grab his attention? Scout out a location where this stimulus will be present – but be sure to choose an “easy” environment – where you can get far enough away from the stimulus to move freely. This should be a familiar location for your dog with few other distractions or triggers.
Any time you venture to a new location, do some temperature checks (see sidebar, “Take Your Dog’s Emotional Temperature”). Can your dog offer behaviors that are reliable, is he able to play the Eye Spy game, will he take a treat from you – and if he will take food, does he take it in the same manner with which he normally takes food?
This is key to making the most of the learning opportunity. If your dog is too stimulated or triggered, it’s unlikely that any quality learning will occur. Do not skip the temperature checks. These are a crucial to ensuring that your dog is primed to learn.
Be aware that just because your dog knows this game at home, there is no guarantee that he will be immediately successful elsewhere. Adjust your criteria; start by expecting less and rewarding more. Return to the first phase of Engage-Disengage by just marking and rewarding your dog as soon as he registers the stimulus.
If your dog repeatedly turns to look at the stimulus right after taking a treat, just keep marking and rewarding these engagements and continue the process. It is totally normal for a dog to glance at real world stimuli multiple times in a row. Remember that each look starts a new repetition. The number of glances per stimulus will reduce as you continue the process and is also how you will know he is ready to transition to the disengage part of the exercise – where he’ll earn an average of five consecutive rewards for looking away from the object and at his handler instead.
Many people get discouraged when their dog won’t disengage from the triggering stimuli and check in with them. I encourage them to just keep repeating the “engage” part of the exercise – and to notice that their dog is no longer lunging, pulling, vocalizing, fixating, freezing, avoiding, or speeding up when they see the object of interest.
This process is fluid. On some days, your dog may be perfectly able to consistently disengage from the birds, squirrels, other dogs, etc. On other days, your dog may be prone to reacting or require more distance to be successful. This is totally normal. Here are some general guidelines to help you decide when you should revert to marking and rewarding for just the engage, even if you were previously able to work on the disengage phase. Go back to working on just the engage phase if:
It is taking more than 2 or 2.5 seconds for your dog to disengage, and/or
Your dog is displaying the initial signs of a reactive display, and/or,
You cannot guarantee that your dog will check back in, and/or
Your dog rehearsed the behavior you are trying to modify (i.e., chasing or obsessing about a bird) before he was able to disengage.
Progress is perfect
There are many factors that may affect your dog’s reaction: the speed or intensity of the stimulus; your dog’s distance from the stimulus; trigger stacking (stress on top of stress on top of stress for your dog); fatigue; weather; the dog’s baseline that day; the direction that the stimulus moved; the value of your rewards that day; the dog’s reinforcement history; the dog’s overall mental and emotional state; and more!
But throughout this process, you will start to notice that your dog is increasingly capable of disengaging when he sees the stimulus. So rather than barking, lunging, chasing, etc., he can now simply look at the stimulus, disengage from it, and check back in with you. Hurrah! The trend is improving.
Remember that practice makes progress; consistency, patience, grace, and time are essential to any process. The learning process is not linear. There will be great days and then there will be other days that crush your soul but remember that on those hard days, your dog is having a tough time. View those situations as neither good nor bad but simply experimental data – more like a science experiment and less than a reflection of you!
Last, be sure to celebrate the small wins and have fun along the way. Make time to engage in activities that your dog enjoys and to find mutually enjoyable activities to keep both of your emotional cups full. Finding joy in the journey is one of my favorite parts of living and working with animals. It is so much less about the destination and so much more about what we learn along the way.
Take Your Dog’s Emotional Temperature
Whenever you go to a new location, do a “temperature check” with your dog to see how he’s likely to handle being with you in the new environment. This will give you information about any adjustments you might need to make in order for him to succeed before you head down a trail together.
If your dog takes treats readily and gently at home, but lunges or grabs at treats – or won’t take treats at all – when he’s in a new environment, you have been given valuable information that he’s overwhelmed and stressed. In order for him to be able to learn or meet your behavior expectations, you need to give him more space and/or time in that new environment. Photo by Nancy Kerns
Is he “running hot” – so overwhelmed or overexcited that he can barely acknowledge you? If so, the likelihood of your success handling him in that environment is low; it may be wise to reschedule your walk. Or is he just nicely “warmed up” – excited but still able to check in with and respond to you? If so, you can start down the trail, but keep taking his temperature and adjust your plans according to his ability to work with you.
One way you can do a temperature check is to offer him a treat to see if he takes it and how he takes it. Ideally, he will take the food as he normally does at home; that’s a nice, cool temperature, indicating that he’s ready and able to learn.
However, the emotional temperature of many dogs will rise in an exciting new environment. What should you do if your dog:
uses more teeth than usual to grab at the food?
takes the food intensely?
inhales the food when he normally chews?
These are signs that your dog needs more time to settle, sniff, and reset into a more neutral head-space so that you can start working together.
Another way to check your dog’s temperature is to wait to see if he checks in with you without any prompting. You could also ask your dog for an easy behavior with a cue that is already reliable, and observe whether there is any delay between your cue and when he offers the behavior. If he can check in with you without prompting and respond quickly and accurately to your cues, he’s at the perfect “temperature” and ready to work with you!
What’s the best way to travel long-distance with a dog? When deciding whether it’s best to drive or fly with your dog, here are some things you should consider:
Is this trip right for your dog? Think about how the travel and subsequent circumstances will affect your dog. How does your dog handle short car rides? Can she relax in the car? Does she willingly relieve herself when she’s away from home?
Overall, ask yourself whether your dog is generally confident and able to go with the flow in most situations, or whether she is a creature of habit who finds change terribly stressful? If she meets the latter description, and you’re not relocating, your dog might find staying home with a pet sitter less stressful than going with you.
What will you do when you get there? Will you have a jam-packed schedule? Will any of your activities accommodate your dog? Is your dog likely to enjoy whatever you have on the agenda or might she find it overwhelming? If the latter, do your plans have the wiggle room you’ll need to bow out of an activity or adjust your schedule so you can attend to your dog’s needs?
Consider your dog’s breed and overall health. These are especially important if you’re considering air travel.
Most airlines have breed restrictions that disallow brachycephalic breeds such a Pugs, Boston Terriers, and Lhasa Apsos, along with many strong, powerful breeds such a Mastiffs, Cane Corsos, Chow Chows, and American Staffordshire Terriers. Air travel also requires that dogs be at least 8 weeks old, and a veterinarian must certify that they are healthy via a physical exam and health certificate issued within 10 days of travel.
Of course you’ll want to make sure your dog is healthy before embarking on a road trip, too! In the case of older dogs with arthritis, can you keep them comfortable confined to the car for long periods? Does your dog get carsick? Will you encounter any extreme temperatures along the way that might make potty stops more challenging? How will you safely handle it? Will your dog’s life be in jeopardy if your air conditioning goes on the blink or your car breaks down?
Once You’ve Made Your Travel Choice
If after you consider these points, you decide to travel with your dog in a car or recreational vehicle, see “Driving Long-Distance with Your Dog” for more information about safe travel on the road.
If, instead, you decide that it might be better to put your dog on an airplane, instead, see “Flying With Your Dog” for tips on air travel with your dog, whether in-cabin or as cargo.
These Variocage crash-tested crates are designed and manufactured with a dog’s safety foremost in mind, complete with “crumple zones” that will absorb a limited amount of pressure while protecting the dog. They must be strapped down using the car’s anchor points. Photo by Tim Steele.
If you’ve made the decision to drive long-distance with your dog, you should be aware that there are a number of factors that can make car travel fairly dangerous for your dog. Keep your dog safe during car travel by employing the following travel tips:
Make sure your dog is safely restrained in a quality pet-restraint car harness and seat belt or a properly strapped-down travel crate. This keeps everyone safer, as your dog can’t accidentally interfere with the driver, and your dog is considerably safer in the event of an accident. (See WDJ’s dog car harness review in the May 2021 issue. Owners of small dogs should check out “Small Dog Car Safety” for a review of the safest small dog car seat on the market.)
The safest travel crates differ significantly from ordinary household crates, and are designed to withstand being crushed or flying apart in car crashes. Some have “escape doors” built into the front sides, in case the back of a car has been hit in a rear-end collision. All of them are meant to be used in conjunction with a car’s safety anchors. These crates provide the maximum security for a dog in a car.
Make sure your dog is wearing current identification and has a microchip registered with your current information.
Carry a copy of vaccine records, medical history, and a current photo – just in case your dog needs medical care, or worse, is lost while traveling. Research options for veterinary care at your destination in advance.
Keep your dog on a leash whenever you are outside of safely enclosed areas. You never know what might frighten away or attract your dog in a new place.
It should go without saying, but do not leave your dog alone in the car in warm or hot weather. It’s best not to leave your dog alone in the car at all, but if you must, for very short periods, only do so in cool weather, and make sure your dog will remain safely in the vehicle.
Offer frequent potty breaks and opportunities for your dog to stretch his legs. Consider splitting long trips into shorter stops that allow you both to enjoy the journey a bit more.
If spending several days on the road with your dog seems like it would be hard on him (or you!), you may want to reconsider air travel. See “How to Travel With a Dog on a Plane” for more information.
Statistically, it’s safer to fly than drive across the country, so if you have a long-distance journey to make with your dog and want to save time, you may decide to book a flight for the two of you. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to how to fly with your dog.
How to Fly With a Dog in the Cabin
If your dog is small enough to fit in a carrier under the seat in front of you, he can usually accompany you in the cabin as your carry-on item. You’ll need to notify the airline that you’ll be traveling with a pet—check the pet policy for the specific airline you’ll be flying as they vary between carriers. Also, you’ll be charged a pet fee, which typically costs $100 to $200 each way. Book the flight and make these arrangements early, as most flights will accommodate only a few pets in the cabin.
Be aware that there is no cut-and-dried rule regarding the size of dogs who can be carried on a plane. Most accurately, the limiting factor for which dogs can be carried onto a flight is the size of the dog’s carrier, and how well the dog appears to fit inside it. Every airline has different maximum dimensions for carriers—and airlines sometimes have different maximum dimensions for the various types of airplane that may be employed on your journey. Confirm that your carrier meets the airline’s requirements for under-seat pet carriers for all legs of your trip.
The airline will have other rules and regulations regarding vaccines, a health certificate from a veterinarian, and other paperwork for your dog. Read the rules carefully and get all your ducks (dogs!) in a row well in advance; health certificates can’t be prepared too far in advance of travel, so you’ll need to schedule a vet visit within a certain timeframe before your trip.
On your travel day, allow plenty of time to check in with your pet. In some cases, you’ll need to drive your pet to a special cargo area first, and then proceed to the passenger terminal to check in yourself. Make sure to have all required paperwork ready and accessible.
In addition to guidance you’ll receive from the airline, air-travel-savvy dog owners we spoke with recommended the following:
Consider your dog’s temperament. Air travel can be stressful for humans, and we understand what’s going on! If your dog struggles with “stranger danger,” is sensitive to unknown sounds, or is generally fearful and anxious, we’d recommend flying the dog only if no other options exist.
As with car travel – and just plain old common sense – make sure your dog has current identification and a working microchip registered with your current information.
Should You Medicate Your Dog Before Flying In the Cabin?
Do not sedate your dog prior to air travel. Sedatives can affect heart rate and respiration and can throw off a dog’s equilibrium. Also, most airlines will not accept a pet that has been knowingly sedated.
How to Fly With Your Dog as Cargo
If your dog does not meet the in-cabin size requirements and is not a task-trained service dog, he’ll need to travel in the cargo hold. Live animals flown as cargo are loaded into a pressurized and temperature-controlled area.
Not all planes are designed to transport live animals and space is limited. In addition, different airlines have different policies and restrictions for how larger pets are transported. For example, in the United States, Alaska Airlines will transport larger dogs as “luggage” (in the temperature-controlled section of the cargo hold) for $150 each way. American Airlines accepts checked pets only for active U.S. military—all other large dogs must be transported through American Airlines Cargo, which is considerably more expensive—often more than the cost of the human’s ticket. United Airlines also no longer transports pets that don’t meet in-cabin travel requirements unless the passenger is traveling as active-duty military or with the State Department.
Airlines have varying requirements regarding the maximum size of the pet carriers they will allow onboard; sometimes these will vary according to the size and model of the aircraft! Be sure to confirm that your dog’s carrier will meet the requirements for each leg of your flight – and, as always, be sure to practice at home in advance to habituate your dog to spending time in the carrier. Photo by Nancy Kerns
Once you’ve made the decision to ship your dog as cargo, prepare for the big day with these tips:
Triple-check crate regulations well in advance of travel. Airlines often require that dogs fly in crates that are large enough for dogs to stand up and turn around comfortably. Make sure your dog is very calm and comfortable in a crate long before he’ll need to fly in one.
Bring nylon cable ties to further secure the door of the crate after airline personnel have inspected the dog and crate. Many airlines do this anyway, but if not, it’s good to be prepared.
Airlines require crates to have a food and water dish attached on the inside of the crate. Freezing water in the dish makes it more likely your dog will be able to enjoy hydration during the flight, rather than having most or all of the water spilled in transport.
Airlines require that you have “LIVE ANIMAL” and “THIS END UP” stickers and the dog’s and/or owner’s itinerary/s affixed to the dog’s crate. Consider adding some additional stickers or photos to make your dog’s crate easier to spot if you’re watching from the airport or airplane window. Fun decorations or amusing information about your dog are also likely to put a smile on the faces of the ground crew transporting your pet. If something about your dog makes them smile, they might be more likely to go the extra mile while he is in their care.
Remind the gate agent that you’re traveling with a pet in cargo and ask to see your dog loaded into the plane. Consider including a cute photo of your dog and a $5 Starbucks gift card as part of your “ask” to encourage cooperation!
If you can’t personally see your dog loaded into the plane, ask flight crew to radio ground crew for confirmation. Again, it never hurts to pair your request with a cute photo and a gift card.
The Importance of Early Planning When Flying With a Dog
In short, you’ll want to do your research ahead of time and plan carefully. Things can get tricky, especially when you’re trying to coordinate a significant relocation of your own. If the rules, regulations, and challenges related to flying your dog leaves your head spinning, consider working with a reputable pet relocation company whose employees are well-versed in the ins and outs of pet transport, and who can take charge of helping you safely get your four-legged friend from Point A to Point B as part of your move. Visit the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association for more information about working with a pet relocation company.
Under the federal Air Carrier Access Act, service dogs (dogs trained to perform tasks to assist a qualified individual with a disability), regardless of size, may travel in-cabin with their disabled handlers, free of charge. In contrast, emotional support animals (ESAs) whose primary function is to provide emotional support, comfort, or companionship via their presence—as opposed to performing specific trained tasks that mitigate a disability—are no longer covered under the Air Carrier Access Act and must travel as pets. Airlines are not required to accommodate ESAs.
It always makes me happy when scientists substantiate something about dogs that any loving dog owner already knows – but it’s icing on the cake when we learn exactly how this happens. A study, published in PLOS One in late September, has confirmed that dogs can detect when humans are stressed. Who hasn’t received devastating news via a phone call, email, or letter and immediately, before we could say a word, had our dogs approach us and attempt to comfort us? This sounded like a no-brainer.
But the most exciting and intriguing news from the study concerned both how dogs can do this – and that they can detect stress signals from people they don’t know and will never meet – by sniffing scent samples taken from the humans. Wow!
First, dogs were trained to identify sweat and breath samples from human volunteers who had participated in a mental arithmetic exercise designed to induce stress – specifically, enough mental stress to increase their blood pressure and heart rate. (The many steps involved in teaching the dogs to detect samples from people who were stressed, and to distinguish between samples from the same person at a normal baseline and a stressed state, are described in the study; it’s a fascinating, many step process.) The researchers, from Queen’s University Belfast school of psychology, started the work with 20 dogs who had been recruited from the Belfast community; four dogs participated through the end of the trials.
In the double-blind testing phase of the study, each dog was presented with breath and sweat samples from the same participant before and after experiencing stress. The dogs correctly alerted the researchers to each person’s stress sample in nearly 94 percent of the 720 trials.
Photo from the study, “Dogs can discriminate between human baseline and psychological stress condition odours,” by Clara Wilson, Kerry Campbell, Zachary Petzel, and Catherine Reeve. Each dog performing their alert behavior to indicate their choice on the three alternative forced choice apparatus. Top Left: Soot (stand-stare), Top Right: Fingal (stand-stare), Bottom Left: Winnie (nose-on sit), Bottom Right: Treo (nose-on sit).
The study concludes, “These results suggest that there is a VOC [volatile organic compounds, how odors are described] profile associated with acute psychological stress that is detectable by trained dogs. Having established that this odor is detectable, further investigations may wish to apply this to real-world settings.” As some examples for potential use of this research, the study says, “Service dogs for those with anxiety, panic attack disorders, and PTSD are growing in popularity and the results of this study confirm that trained dogs are able to detect the physiological processes associated with an aspect of these conditions from odor alone.”
Again, while this study suggests that there are endless potential applications for us to harness the extraordinary ability of dogs to detect odors, I am personally thrilled to have information about exactly how dogs can detect and identify how humans are feeling – even humans they don’t know.
As just one silly example, this helps dispel that old trope about how dogs just “know when you’re scared of them” – especially since people who imparted this “wisdom” historically suggested that a person needs to dominate the dog as a response, lest the dog use his information about your fear to dominate you. What a bunch of bull! The study suggests that dogs can literally smell the compounds emitted by a stressed person; can you imagine how scary and/or strange it must be for dogs to meet humans that smell (to them) scared out of their minds? I wonder if a person who seems outwardly normal but is experiencing all the physiological symptoms of stress, seems to a dog like a human who is in full panic mode seems to us!
The Bow Wow Buddy isn’t perfect, but it’s a very useful tool for people who give bully sticks to their dogs to chew. Securing a bully stick in the device definitely reduces the chance that a dog will choke on the end of the stick. However, as with all toys or devices that can be chewed by a dog, close supervision is still required to preserve the product’s safety.
I was quite enthusiastic the first time I saw an ad for the Bow Wow Buddy, a hard plastic device that secures the end of a bully stick, preventing dogs from choking on the tail end of the chew. I would think that a product that increases the safety of chews that virtually all dogs enjoy chewing would be welcome in most dog owner’s homes. Then I saw the price tag: nearly $28 for the extra small size, and nearly $38 for the extra large! Well, I thought, my dogs have lived without it so far…
But that was before I adopted a third dog – and a puppy at that! My next-youngest dog is 7 years old; I have forgotten the extraordinary value of any tool that helps to safely occupy a bored puppy or adolescent dog who is teething. What’s more, this particular adolescent has strong resource-guarding tendencies; if he suspects that another dog has designs on his chew-item – or that I am about to trade him some treats for his dangerously swallowable bully stick – he will often try to run away and swallow his prize, rather than risk losing it. Suddenly, $30 or $40 seemed like a really good investment in Boone’s safety.
That investment also helps stretch my expenditure on bully sticks, which are not cheap. Without the Bow Wow Buddy, I end up throwing away at least four to six inches of every bully stick I buy, just to keep Boone from trying to hurriedly hoard them, risking a semi-certain death by choking on those last few inches of chewing enjoyment. That’s about half of the more common, short bully sticks. Throwing away that many inches and hours of expensive canine enjoyment and occupation just seems wrong.
Bow Wow Buddy Works Best With Thick Sticks
This is a not a chew toy. The Bow Wow Buddy is made of hard plastic, and if a dog is left unsupervised to chew it after the bully stick is gone, this is what will happen. The gnawed furrows in the plastic are sharp and hazardous for dogs and humans. Photo by Nancy Kerns.
I don’t often buy bully sticks for my dogs (see “Bully for You?”), but when I do, I try to buy the very largest, longest bully sticks I can find. And because all three of my dogs are large (or will soon mature into a large dog), I bought the large size Bow Wow Buddy.
Unfortunately, the only bully sticks I had on hand when the Bow Wow Buddy arrived were long but very slender – and slender sticks just can’t get gripped by the Buddy.
Had I examined Bow Wow Labs’ website more carefully before I ordered, I would have ordered some bully sticks from them. The company is obviously aware that the Bow Wow Buddy works best with thick bully sticks, and now that I’m aware of that, too, I regret my purchase elsewhere of very long but thinner sticks.
Bully sticks are held in place in the center of the device by pressure provided by a single, pointed, plastic peg, which presses the stick against some tiny plastic spikes on the other side of the stick chamber. The pressure is adjusted by turning a knob on one end of the Buddy.
I beefed up the end of a slender bully stick by wrapping it in cardboard, and then tightened the knob with a pair of pliers, taking care to not overtighten and break the device. Buying thicker sticks would work better. Photo by Nancy Kerns.
The slender-stick problem is aggravated by the fact that the pointed peg can only be screwed so far; it goes only about two-thirds of the way across that gap. So if the stick isn’t thick, it won’t be firmly gripped, rendering the device useless – at least, unless you are willing to do a little tinkering.
I was able to wrap some thick cardboard around the end of a thin bully stick to make it thick enough to be held securely by the pointed peg. However, I accomplished this tightening only with the help of a pair of pliers; I couldn’t tighten the knob enough to hold the cardboard and stick securely by hand alone. Sure, I’m almost 60, but I’m still pretty strong and I needed the pliers.
Supervision always required
Bully sticks are inserted through the center opening, and then held in place between the peg (orange in this size of the Bow Wow Buddy) and the small spikes on the opposite side of the opening. A knob on one end of the device is turned to tighten and loosen the peg.
As with all items that are given to a dog to play with or chew, the Bow Wow Buddy isn’t indestructible. If you space out and allow your dog to continue to try to extract that last little bit of bully stick in the center, eventually, your dog will start to chew on the hard plastic device itself. I think we are all aware that when hard plastic is chewed by a dog, it creates very sharp furrows that can cut your dog’s lips and your own hands, the next time you try to load it. (Ask me how I know this – no, wait; you don’t have to.)
The Buddy does not replace the need for supervising your dog while he’s chewing a bully stick, but it at least allows you to take your eyes off of him for a few minutes at a time.
A final note: It’s not necessary to buy the largest sizes of the Bow Wow Buddy; you could triple the size of the largest bully stick I have ever seen and it would still fit in the large size of the device. I bet even the small size would work well to hold even very large bully sticks.
Bow Wow Buddys (and appropriately sized bully sticks) are available in pet supply stores, online pet retailers, and directly from BowWowLabs.com.
Bully for you?
I haven’t yet met a dog who doesn’t like chewing on bully sticks. But the dried beef penises, processed goodness knows where, don’t agree with all dogs – or maybe it’s some chemical used to prevent pathogenic bacteria from growing on the dried meat that disagrees with some dogs’ tummies. Either way, I won’t defend the practice of giving bully sticks to all dogs; I use them only very sparingly, and only when I need extraordinary help to occupy a bored, restless, and potentially destructive dog – a dog who seems to have no trouble digesting them, that is. I also use other food-filled puzzles and chew items as time-fillers; I don’t depend on bully sticks alone. But when I do use one for this purpose, I will likely use it in conjunction with the Bow Wow Buddy from now on.
A couple of days ago, I received a text from a dog-training client, wondering about a video she had just watched—and which she linked in the text. “Is meat meal bad for dogs?” she asked. She followed that message with, “I get that she’s selling her own pet food, but is it (meat meal) that bad?”
