Sami walks into his carrier bag on his own now. He sees us pull it out of the closet and he just… gets in. Sits down. Waits.
It wasn’t always like that.
The first time we tried to put him in a carrier, he wanted nothing to do with it. He’s a Westie. He has opinions. Strong ones. And “getting zipped into a bag” was not something he was going to accept without some convincing.
The good news is that convincing a terrier to do something they don’t want to do is entirely possible — you just need patience and treats. Lots of treats. Here’s the approach that worked for us, starting about two weeks before our first flight.
Step 1: Just Leave It There
Before you do anything, get the carrier out of the box and put it in your living room. Open. On the floor. Near where your dog hangs out.
That’s it. Don’t try to put your dog in it. Don’t even encourage them to look at it. Just let it exist in their space.
What you’re doing is making the carrier part of the furniture. Something that’s always been there, not something new and scary that suddenly appeared. Dogs are curious — Sami sniffed it within the first hour. He didn’t go in, but he investigated it on his own terms. And that’s exactly what you want.
We left the carrier open in the living room for about three days before moving to the next step. If your carrier bag is the right size, it won’t take up too much space, and it gives your dog time to get used to the sight and smell of it.
Step 2: Make It Comfortable
Once the carrier has been sitting there for a few days and your dog isn’t actively avoiding it, add some comfort items.
We put Sami’s favorite blanket inside. Then his little froggy pillow (don’t judge, he loves it). The idea is to turn the carrier into a place that smells like home and feels like home. If your dog has a toy they sleep with or a blanket they’re attached to, put it in there.
You can also toss a few treats inside — just casually, like you didn’t mean to. Don’t make a big deal out of it. You want your dog to discover the treats on their own and start thinking of the carrier as a place where good things happen.
Step 3: Feed Meals Inside
This is the step that made the biggest difference for us.
We started putting Sami’s food bowl inside the carrier. Not pushed all the way to the back — just right at the entrance at first. He’d have to stick his head in to eat, but his body was still outside. Fine. After a day or two, we moved the bowl a little deeper. Then deeper.
Within about four or five days, Sami was walking fully into the carrier to eat his meals. Voluntarily. No coercion. He just associated the bag with food, which in terrier logic is basically the highest endorsement possible.
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Step 4: Close the Door
Once your dog is comfortable going in and out freely, it’s time to start closing the zipper. This is the part that can go sideways if you rush it.
Start with just a few seconds. Dog goes in, you zip it closed, wait five seconds, unzip, treat, praise. Done. Do that a few times over a day.
Then extend to 30 seconds. Then a minute. Then five minutes. Every time you unzip, treat and praise. You’re building the association: closed bag = temporary, and good things happen when it opens.
The key is to never let your dog get to the point where they’re panicking. If they start whining or pawing at the zipper after 30 seconds, you’ve gone too long. Go back to 15 seconds and build up more gradually. There’s no rush. You have days, ideally weeks, before the flight.
Step 5: Move Around the House
Once your dog can calmly sit in the closed carrier for 10-15 minutes, start picking it up. Gently. Walk around the house with it. Set it down. Walk some more.
Then try short car rides. Five minutes to the park and back. This mimics the movement they’ll feel when you’re carrying them through the airport.
We also did something that might sound silly but actually helped: we played airport sounds on YouTube at low volume while Sami was in the carrier. Announcements, airplane noise, that ambient airport buzz. We started quiet and gradually increased the volume over a few days. By the time we got to the actual airport, none of it was new to him.
Step 6: The Overnight Test
A few days before the flight, we had Sami nap in his carrier during the day. Not forced — we just left it open in his usual nap spot with his blanket in it, and let him choose. When he climbed in and fell asleep, we gently zipped it closed. He slept for about an hour without any fuss.
That was the moment I knew he’d be fine on the plane. If your dog can sleep in the carrier voluntarily, the actual flight is going to be much smoother than you think.
Flight Day Tips
The morning of the flight (or evening, if it’s a night flight), give your dog a good long walk. Tire them out. We usually take Sami for a longer-than-usual walk and let him run around until he’s properly exhausted. A tired dog is a calm dog.
Put their comfort items in the carrier — the same blanket and toy they’ve been training with. You want it to smell familiar. I sometimes wear a t-shirt the day before and put that in the carrier too, so it smells like me. Sami seems to find that comforting, especially during the flight when the bag is under the seat and he can’t see us.
And here’s something important: stay calm yourself. Dogs pick up on your energy. If you’re stressed and anxious at the airport, your dog will be too. Deep breaths. You’ve done the preparation. It’s going to be fine.
What If Your Dog Is Still Stressed?
Some dogs are naturally more anxious than others. If you’ve gone through all the training steps and your dog is still uncomfortable in the carrier, there are a few things to try.
Book a night flight if you can. Your dog will naturally be sleepy and more likely to just pass out in the carrier. We’ve found that scheduling flights during Sami’s normal nap times — early afternoon or late evening — makes a huge difference.
Talk to your vet about natural calming aids. Our vet recommended CBD oil for anxious dogs. We’ve never had to use it with Sami, but I trust our vet’s advice. What you should NOT do is sedate your dog before a flight — some airlines actually prohibit it, and there are real health risks at high altitudes.
Bring high-value treats for the flight. Something your dog goes crazy for. Give them a few during boarding and takeoff to keep them focused on something positive.
And if none of this works — if your dog truly cannot handle being in a carrier for extended periods — it’s okay to accept that. Not every dog is a flyer. Better to find out before the flight than during it.
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The whole process — from “what is this thing” to “I’ll just nap in here” — took us about two weeks. It’s the best investment of time we made before our first flight. Everything that came after — the airport, the check-in, the actual flying — was easier because Sami was already comfortable in his bag. Start early. Be patient. Your dog will get there.
