You may have heard statistics about dogs in transport dog crates being injured or lost, and even dying on board airplanes. These statistics crop up from time to time, usually in the context of a fresh injury, loss or death. Airlines do generally attempt to do their utmost to ensure that dogs traveling by airplane arrive at their destination safely. In fact, dog breeders and other dog enthusiasts often use airplanes as dog transport for their dogs, without incident. And compared to the proportion of dogs in transport dog crates and pet travel carriers being successfully tansported, the proportion of mishaps is pretty small.
Simply because thousands and thousands of pets are safely transferred from one destination to another via the airlines, does not mean that dog owners do not need to take responsible precautionary measures to ensure the safety of their family pet. After all, it only takes one incident to change your life forever when your dog becomes seriously injured or dies because of a lack of preparation on your part.
The first thing to consider is whether your dog needs to travel at all. The second thing is whether your dog needs to travel by airplane, or whether dog transport via train or car is a possibility.
Before proceeding with dog transport of any type, it's a wise decision to see your veterinarian for a general checkup for your dog to ensure that he is in fact in good health, and well enough to travel safely. He could be suffering from a medical condition that could put him at risk during travel that has never been pointed out to you, or that has only recently arisen.
As far as comfort for your dog goes, do your best to select a flight that is either during the early morning hours or early evening time. These are the best times during the day in which your dog will experience the most comfortable of temperatures. Avoid flying your pet during extreme weather climates that are too hot or too cold. Remember, he will be stuffed down in the cargo area.
Puppies and small dogs can usually travel in the passenger compartment with you if you are also traveling on the same flight. This is desirable, since it minimizes the potential for stressing your dog, and significantly reduces the potential for your dog to suffer from separation anxiety. Puppies, in particular, can suffer long term adverse effects from experiencing separation anxiety in such a situation. You will need small transport dog crates or pet carriers for small pets for travel in the passenger compartment. You could even splash out and invest in stylish pet carriers you'll be able to use for other types of travel.
Dogs of any age can suffer from separation anxiety, and some are much more prone to this than others. If your dog has ever shown signs of separation anxiety in any situation, you can be fairly certain that such a condition will be exacerbated if he is locked into a transport dog crate and left alone in the cargo section of the plane.
Separation anxiety is a real condition that should not be overlooked. It is estimated that almost 20% of all dogs suffer at some level from separation anxiety. These personality types make very poor candidates for dog transport by airplane, unless they can travel in the passenger cabin with you (which medium and large dogs obviously cannot). Such dogs should not be left alone and when their condition reaches elevated levels, it is not uncommon for a dog to literally chew through a metal cage in the attempt of trying to escape, causing severe injuries that can cause the dog to bleed to death. It may be possible to treat your dog with natural anxiety remedies, or you may even want to talk to your vet about a sedative if you think your dog will react badly to being transported.
Is it cruel to put your dog in a dog crate, or are there good reasons to crate your dog?
Dogs are, of course, descended from thousands or millions of years of generations of wild dogs, and the instincts generated by those inumerable generations of breeding remain. Whilst your dog might seem like a wonderful, playful energetic house puppy, which he is, he still retains much of his instinctual programming from all those generations of wild dogs.
That's not to say your dog is wild, dogs can, of course, be successfully trained. And if he is wild he shouldn't be, that's your fault for lack of training.
However it's also true that dogs still find comfort in the things from their ancestor's past. They instinctively take to certain things because for all those thousands of generations of previous dogs, when some things were important.
And one of the things wild dogs did, and still do, is to find a den to sleep in at night. Wild dogs don't generally sleep in the open, they find somewhere dry and comfy to sleep in and raise their puppies.
A dog crate is the dogs den of the modern, domesticated age. Dogs feel secure and happy with a den/crate to sleep in, and should be happy to do so.
Does this mean that all dog crates are wonderful? Not necessarily, because it depends on what the dog owner does with the crate that determines whether it's cruel or kind to the dog. The same crate used by one dog owner can be a wonderful tool for both the owner and the dog, but the same crate misused by another dog owner can be cruel and improper.
So a dog crate is fine for sleeping. It isn't fine for keeping the dog locked up all day because you want it confined. It isn't fine for use as an indiscriminate discipline tool, but it ok if used properly for dog discipline. If you use the dog crate sparingly for discipline, putting your dog in it only when it's clear to him why he's been put in the crate during the day, that's ok. It's clear to him when the punishment is imposed immediately you catch the dog in the act of misbehaving and he can associate the punishment with his misbehavior.
If he did something naughty an hour ago don't lock him up, he won't understand why, it won't work to correct the misbehaviour and it's unnecessary and, arguably, cruel.
A good dog crate is fine tool for dog training, and is a great way to give your dog his own sleeping place each night. Used correctly it's well worth having a dog crate for your dog.
But used incorrectly it's not appropriate, and you could be accused of dog cruelty in some circumstances.
It's up to you to learn enough to understand the right way, and the wrong way, to use a dog crate.
Both Geraldine Dimarco & Peter Clark are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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