Hi Joe, throughout the years we have had 3 Goldens, all great to have and all with their own personality and quirks at the field, which went to almost all the flying contests locally and weekend trips. They are great to have but do need some extra attention and care for food, sleep, play and especially if it is really hot at the contests. I did not have Lani with me for several of the hot Muncie NATS but Chris Moon had Lotto there, when we went out to eat Chris would leave the SUV running and air conditioner on to keep him cool. You might want to think about the car you have for the size of dog, we have a minivan and it works well for 2 planes plus 2 people and 1 large dog, a small SUV may not work with the large dog but works great for Chris and Lotto.

When we first got Samantha and Lani at 8 weeks old one of the first trips they made was out to the field to get adjusted to the sounds and smells of the field. After the first trip out there the noises did not bother them but the first run up of the IC engines had them slightly scared. Since I go with Lani to practice all the time she knows how to behave around the planes, people and other dogs and generally at the contests she does not cause any problems. You could run into some issues if the dog is not adjusted to the planes and activities of the field but if he/she can go with you most of the time to the field you should have a happy dog and no complaints from the fliers.

Good luck Joe and I’ll be looking forward to seeing you with a dog.

Dave Snow