What does my dog need to travel abroad, by car or by plane?

In two months you are off on holiday to Italy and want to take the dog. Or you are moving to the Netherlands for a year and leaving him behind is not up for discussion. Or you have spotted a cheap flight and are wondering whether a six-kilo dog would fit beside you in the cabin. Whichever it is, the first question is the same: what paperwork does he need, and how far ahead do you start? In short, earlier than you think. A rabies vaccination needs three weeks before it counts for travel, and some countries want blood tests that take months. Below is the order to do things in, what each document is for, and how to get your dog ready for the car, the crate and the airport. These are the rules for travel within and into the European Union; if you live elsewhere the logic is the same, but check your own country's official rules.

What to do, in the right order

1. The microchip comes first

In most European countries microchipping is a legal requirement, so your dog probably has one already. Check two things with your vet. First, that the chip still reads, because chips sometimes migrate under the skin or, rarely, fail. Second, that it is the standard 15-digit type that scanners across Europe can read. The order matters: within the EU, a rabies vaccination only counts for travel if it was given after the chip went in, or on the same day. A vaccination given before the chip does not count and has to be repeated.

2. Rabies vaccination

It can be given from 12 weeks of age. After the first vaccination, the dog can only cross a border once 21 days have passed. Boosters given on time, before the previous vaccination runs out, are valid straight away. If you are even a day late, you are back to the 21-day wait. Check the expiry date in his passport and put it in your phone calendar.

In practice, a puppy cannot legally travel between EU countries before about 15 weeks of age (12 plus 3). Some countries have separate rules for very young puppies, but do not count on them.

3. The EU pet passport

A small blue booklet, the same in every EU country, issued by an authorised vet. It records the chip number, your details, the rabies vaccination with date and signature and, where needed, treatments that certain countries require. An ordinary vaccination card will not do at the border. Ask your practice whether they issue passports, because not all of them do.

4. What your destination asks for

Between EU countries, a chip, a valid vaccination and a passport usually cover everything. A few exceptions come up a lot:

• Ireland, Finland, Malta, Norway and the United Kingdom require a treatment against the Echinococcus tapeworm, given by a vet and recorded in the passport between one and five days before arrival. The window is strict, so you book the vet appointment around your travel date.
• Great Britain is outside the EU and sets its own rules. It currently accepts EU pet passports on entry, but conditions change, so read the official UK government guidance a month before you go.
• Countries outside the EU, and coming back from them, often require a rabies antibody test: a blood sample taken at least 30 days after vaccination and sent to an approved laboratory. When you return to the EU from a country that is not on the low-risk list, the dog can only enter three months after the sample was taken. In that case, start planning six months ahead.
• Some countries ban certain breeds or have special rules for them. Check whether your dog's breed is on any list.

For up-to-date information, go to the embassy or the official veterinary service of the country concerned. Forums are right most of the time, but it is exactly the exceptions they miss.

5. Flying: cabin or hold

Small dogs usually fly in the cabin. The airline sets a maximum weight for dog and carrier together, often around 8 kilos. The carrier stays under the seat in front for the whole flight, and the dog stays inside it. Each flight takes only a handful of animals, so book the dog at the same time as your own ticket, by phone or online, not at the check-in desk. Some airlines, including several of the busiest low-cost carriers, accept no pets at all apart from assistance dogs.

Larger dogs fly in the hold, in a rigid crate that meets the international standard for transporting live animals. It must be tall enough for him to stand without his ears touching the roof and long enough for him to turn round and lie stretched out. It needs ventilation on several sides, a fixed water bowl and no wheels. The animal hold is pressurised and heated, but for a dog who has never been shut in, it is still a hard experience. Many airlines refuse flat-faced dogs (bulldogs, pugs, boxers) in the hold because they struggle to breathe and the risk to them is high. In summer, some airlines stop hold transport on certain routes.

A few rules we would put on any list, whatever the airline or destination:

• fly direct whenever you can, since every stopover means another round of loading and unloading;
• no food in the last few hours before the flight (ask your vet how long), but water right up until you leave;
• a long walk with plenty of sniffing before the airport, so he sleeps on the way;
• a T-shirt you have worn, in the crate;
• your name, phone number and destination taped to the crate.

Do not give him anything "to help him sleep". Calmers and sedatives change the way a dog regulates his blood pressure and breathing, and at altitude, in the hold, nobody is there to keep an eye on him. Veterinary associations and airlines advise against sedation. If your dog is very anxious, talk to your own vet well in advance, and think hard about whether flying is right for him.

6. The car, which we choose most often

On a long drive the dog travels in a crate secured in the boot, or on the back seat in a harness clipped to the seat belt. Not loose and not on someone's lap: in an emergency stop, a 20-kilo dog becomes a projectile. Stop every two or three hours, and clip his lead on before you open the door, because a frightened dog leaping out on a motorway hard shoulder is the worst thing that can happen. Water at every stop. And never leave him in the car in the sun, not even for five minutes: in summer the temperature inside climbs within minutes to levels that can kill him. If he gets car sick, read our guide on travel sickness before you set off.

7. The crate, practised at home

Plane, train or car, your dog needs to know beforehand that the crate is a good place. Start a few weeks ahead: door open, meals served inside, treats tossed to the back, his own blanket. Then close the door for a few seconds while he eats, then a few minutes, then a short drive with him in the crate. Departure day should not be the first time he sees it.

From puppy to old dog

Puppies. A puppy cannot legally cross a border until his rabies vaccination is valid, so at around 15 weeks. The good news is that you can use that time to get him used to the carrier or crate, the car and airport noises (you can find recordings to play at low volume at home while he eats). A puppy who has done ten short car trips by four months will travel easily all his life.

Adolescents. Lots of energy, little patience. Before any long trip, a proper outing with his nose in the grass. On the way, something to chew. Double-check the crate catch, because adolescents work out how to open them very quickly.

Adults. If he has never travelled, start as you would with a puppy: crate at home, short trips, then long ones. An adult who is calm at home is not necessarily calm in the hold.

Older dogs. They overheat and dehydrate more easily, their joints ache after hours in one position, and sometimes they have heart or breathing problems that make flying risky. Before a long trip, book a check-up with your own vet and talk honestly about whether it is a good idea. For many older dogs, the car with frequent stops is the kinder option.

The mistakes we see often

• Rabies vaccination given before the chip. As far as the paperwork goes, it does not exist, so it has to be redone, with another 21 days to wait. It happens more often than you would think with rescue dogs.
• A booster a few days late. The vaccination then counts as a first one again, and you are back to 21 days. Plenty of people find this out at the vet's a week before they leave.
• Buying your ticket before securing the dog's place. Airlines take very few animals per flight. Ring and book the dog first, then buy your ticket.
• A carrier that is too small, chosen to fit the airline's rules rather than the dog. He must be able to turn round and lie down in it. If he does not fit, he does not fly in the cabin, however small he looks on paper.
• Meeting the crate for the first time on departure day. A panicking dog in an unfamiliar crate can break his claws and teeth trying to get out.
• A sedative "so he does not suffer". See above. It is only ever discussed with your vet, and only if your vet thinks it suits that particular journey.
• Tapeworm treatment given too early. The one-to-five-day window is strict: given six days before, it is no longer valid.

How long it takes and how to know you are ready

You are ready when you hold a passport with the chip and vaccination in order, written confirmation from the airline for the dog, and a dog who walks into his crate by himself and lies down.

When to call a trainer

• he still panics in the crate or carrier after two weeks of small steps;
• he gets sick or very worked up in the car, and the drive is long;
• he barks or growls at strange people and dogs, and the airport, train or hotel will put him in situations you cannot avoid;
• you adopted him recently and do not yet know how he reacts to noise, being shut in or being handled.

Your own vet takes care of the paperwork. The crate, the car and staying patient in busy places are things we work on in our basic training classes. A few sessions before the trip make the difference between a dog who sleeps through the journey and one who cries for eight hours.