Crate training a Maltese for weekly air travel

A Maltese who flies regularly is a specific challenge — airline-approved crates have strict size limits, and you need something the dog genuinely settles in, not just tolerates for 90 minutes of stress. Crate training works when the crate becomes a positive space, and that's just as true for a travel carrier as it is for a home crate. The right size and type matters enormously here, and so does whether your dog already has a positive association with being in an enclosed space. Can you tell me: is your Maltese already comfortable in a crate or carrier at home, or is this starting from scratch? And which airline do you fly most often — cabin or hold?

That's a really good starting point — a dog who already sees an enclosed space as safe is halfway there. The main obstacle with cabin travel on BA and easyJet is that they both require the carrier to fit under the seat in front, and easyJet in particular is strict about dimensions (usually 45 x 36 x 20cm max). At 3.5kg your Maltese is well within the weight allowance most carriers allow. What I'd want to know before recommending anything: does she tend to want to look out and watch the world, or does she settle better when she feels cocooned and covered?

Perfect — that tells me exactly what you need. A burrower who gets overstimulated in busy spaces wants a soft-sided carrier with good coverage, not a wire or mesh-heavy option that puts the airport chaos right in her face. My recommendation is the Sleepypod Air In-Cabin Pet Carrier. It's specifically designed for under-seat cabin travel, meets the dimensions for most European airlines including BA and easyJet, and the cosy interior with a removable fleece bed is genuinely suited to a dog like yours. It also has a top opening which makes getting a reluctant dog in and out much easier at security. The structure holds its shape under the seat so she's not cramped, and the mesh panels can be partially covered with the included flap if she needs to feel more enclosed. At 3.5kg she'll have comfortable room. It's available on Amazon UK and typically arrives quickly — worth ordering a few weeks before your next trip so you can do a few short practice sessions at home before she flies in it.

Start by leaving it open in the room where she spends most of her time — don't make a fuss of it, just let her investigate on her own terms. Once she's going in voluntarily, start feeding her meals just inside the entrance, then gradually move the bowl further back. After a few days of that, zip her in for five minutes while you're in the room, then build up in small increments. Since she's already crate-comfortable at home, this should go faster than it would with a dog starting from scratch — realistically you can have her settled in it within a week or two of consistent short sessions. The key is never using it for the first time in a stressful situation. She should be fully relaxed in it at home before it ever appears in an airport.

A few practical things worth having: a familiar-smelling item in the carrier, like a worn t-shirt or her blanket from home, which genuinely helps with anxiety in unfamiliar environments. Make sure she's not fed a large meal in the two hours before flying to reduce the chance of motion sickness. Carry a small water bottle and a collapsible travel bowl for before you board. And check the specific airline's pet policy each time you book — cabin pet rules can change, and some routes or aircraft types don't allow pets in cabin even on airlines that normally do. Other than that, a dog who's well-trained to her carrier and has a calm, unbothered owner is genuinely the best setup you can have.