How to Choose a Dog Crate: Size, Type, and Training Guide

A quick note before you start: This is an editorial buying guide, not a product review.

In short: Get the size right first, so your dog can stand without crouching, turn around fully, and lie flat with their legs stretched out.

Then choose a type to suit your setup:

• wire for home use and growing puppies (with a divider panel as they grow)

• plastic for travel and den-like security

• soft-sided only for a calm dog that's already crate-trained

• furniture-style if you want it to double as living-room furniture.

Welfare guidance: Whatever you choose, keep time in the crate within welfare guidance: the RSPCA notes that well-trained adult dogs with a positive association with their crate are "normally quite happy to be left for about three hours," while puppies need much shorter, more frequent breaks because they can't hold their bladder as long, and a crate should never be used as punishment.

Below: how to measure your dog properly, a full type-by-type comparison, honest crate-training and placement advice, and the mistakes most buying guides skip.

How to measure your dog for a crate

Get this step right, and everything else (type, placement, even how quickly your dog settles into it) gets easier. Get it wrong, and no amount of positive training will make an undersized or oversized crate work well.

Start with your dog standing normally, not sitting or lying down.

1. Length

Measure from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail (not including the tail itself). This gives you the length your dog needs to lie down fully stretched out.

2. Height

Measure from the floor to the top of the shoulders while standing. If your dog has upright ears (German Shepherds, Corgis, many terriers), measure to the tip of the ears instead, since that's the highest point when they're alert.

3. Add a margin

Add roughly 10–15cm to both measurements. This gives enough room to:

• stand without crouching

• turn around in a full circle

• lie flat with legs extended.

That's the same practical standard the RSPCA and Dogs Trust both describe in their own crate-training guidance, in slightly different words: the RSPCA says a crate should be "big enough for them to stand, turn around, lie down and stretch in," while Dogs Trust says it should be large enough for a dog to "stand up, turn around, lie down, sit down, wag their tail and stretch out fully."

Here's roughly how that translates into crate sizes, using the length measurement (nose-to-tail-base) as the anchor. These are typical bands used across the market, not figures tied to one specific dog. Don't buy on breed name alone: always check the actual internal dimensions of a crate against your own dog's measurements.

If your dog measures between two bands, size up rather than down, but see the "common mistakes" section below before you assume bigger is automatically safer, because it isn't, particularly for a puppy still being house-trained.

Why choosing the right dog crate matters

A crate isn't a cage for storing a dog out of the way. Used well, it's closer to a den: an enclosed, predictable space a dog can retreat to when the house gets busy, when visitors arrive, or simply when they want to switch off.

Dogs are den animals by instinct, and a lot of the anxiety people associate with crates actually comes from a crate that was introduced badly, not from the concept itself.

Practically, a crate earns its keep in a few ways:

• It supports house-training, because most dogs are reluctant to soil a space they sleep in, which helps them learn to hold on until they're taken outside.

• It gives you somewhere safe to leave a dog for short stretches without worrying about them chewing a skirting board or getting into something they shouldn't.

• It makes travel and vet visits less stressful, because a dog who already sees a crate as familiar territory is calmer inside one at the vet, in the car, or on the way to a new home.

None of that means every dog needs one, or that a crate is automatically the right call for every household. We'll come back to that honestly in a later section, rather than assuming crate training is right for every dog by default.

If you're setting up a home for a dog for the very first time, a crate is just one of several foundational purchases: our first-time pet owner guide covers the wider checklist, from bedding to routine vet care, that goes alongside it.

Wire vs plastic vs soft-sided vs furniture-style: which type suits your setup

There's no single "best" crate type: only the type that fits how and where you'll actually use it. Here's a fair look at all four, upsides and downsides included.

Wire crates

The most common type in UK homes, and usually the best starting point if you're not sure what you need. Good ventilation means your dog can see and hear what's going on around them, which helps a lot of dogs settle faster than they would somewhere fully enclosed.

Most wire crates fold flat for storage or moving house, and they're generally the best value of the four types. Many also come with (or can be bought with) a divider panel, which lets you buy one crate sized for your puppy's adult dimensions and simply shrink the usable space down while they're small.

The downside: wire is the least den-like of the options, and some dogs, particularly anxious ones, find the open sides make them feel exposed instead of reassured.

Wire crates also aren't suitable for car travel or air travel unless it's a specific model that's been crash-tested or airline-approved; a standard fold-flat wire crate will slide and flex in a way a moulded travel crate won't.

Plastic (travel/moulded) crates

The more enclosed, den-like option, and the standard choice for both air travel and a lot of car travel. The solid sides give a stronger sense of security for a nervous dog, and they're easy to wipe clean if there's an accident. Most airlines require this style specifically for pets travelling in the hold.

The trade-off is weight and ventilation: plastic crates are heavier to carry than an equivalent wire crate, ventilation is more limited (usually just side vents), and they don't fold flat. You're storing the whole shape, which is awkward if space at home is tight.

Soft-sided (fabric/mesh) crates

Lightweight, easy to carry, and genuinely portable in a way the other three aren't, useful for a calm dog going to a friend's house, a dog show, or a short trip where a rigid crate is overkill.

This is the type with the narrowest use case, and it's worth being upfront about that. It only really works for a dog that is already calm and already crate-trained.

A dog that chews, scratches at the door, or hasn't yet learned to settle in a crate can genuinely damage or escape a soft-sided crate. The fabric and mesh simply don't offer the same containment as wire or plastic, so it isn't the right choice for an anxious or destructive dog, or for the crate-training process itself.

Furniture-style crates

These are built to look like an actual piece of furniture (a side table, a TV cabinet, a bench) with the crate function built in underneath or behind a panel.

If you don't want a visible wire or plastic crate as a permanent fixture in your living room, this solves that problem in a way none of the other three types do.

The honest downside: furniture-style crates are rarely foldable or portable, so they're a poor choice if you'll ever need to travel with the crate or move it between rooms regularly.

They're also usually the most expensive option by a wide margin, and a lot of that cost is about how the crate looks; a well-chosen wire crate at a fraction of the price offers much the same practical function. If budget matters and looks don't, this is the type to skip.

Crate training basics: introducing the crate the right way

How you introduce the crate matters more than which crate you bought. The RSPCA's own guidance is built around a simple principle: "think positive – the crate should always be associated with something pleasant." Both the RSPCA and Dogs Trust describe broadly the same step-by-step approach.

Regular walks factor in here too, since a dog that's had a proper walk generally settles into the crate faster than one who hasn't; if you're still deciding on the right kit for daily walks, our guide to fixed vs flexi leads covers that separately.

Start with the door open

Place the crate somewhere the family already spends time, not a spare room or a hallway, and let your dog explore it at their own pace, door propped open so it can't swing shut and startle them. Don't lift or push a reluctant dog inside; let curiosity do the work.

Use food to build the association

Drop treats inside, or feed meals in or right next to the crate. The RSPCA specifically recommends feeding meals in the crate as "a good way to start increasing the length of time your dog or puppy is happy to stay in the crate."

Dogs Trust suggests a long-lasting chew or a food-releasing toy for the same reason: something enjoyable that keeps your dog occupied while they're in there.

Close the door gradually

Once your dog goes in and out of the crate on their own without fuss, start closing the door for a few seconds at a time while you're in the room, working up slowly. If they whine or scratch to get out, that's a sign you've moved too fast. Go back a step instead of pushing through it.

Build up time in stages

Increase the time with the door closed gradually, and only once your dog seems genuinely settled, not anxious. This is also where duration limits matter, which we cover in the next section. Don't use this stage to test how long your dog can "cope" with being crated; the goal is comfort, not endurance.

Never use it as punishment. This point is worth repeating on its own: the RSPCA is explicit that "crates must never be used as a punishment or to prevent unwanted behaviours such as destruction of furniture."

A dog sent to the crate in anger, or shut in it after being told off, will start associating the whole space with being in trouble, which undoes the positive groundwork above and can make a previously happy crate-user reluctant to go back in.

When to talk to your vet: If your dog is showing genuine distress, not just mild reluctance (persistent barking, howling, attempts to escape that risk injury, or signs of panic), that's a point to talk to your vet or a qualified behaviourist instead of pushing through it with more repetition.

Not every dog takes to a crate, and that's a normal outcome, not a training failure on your part.

How long can you leave your dog in a crate

There's no single official rule here, and be wary of any guide that states one as if it were law.

Adult dogs

What we can point to is the RSPCA's own published guidance: a dog who has been properly, positively introduced to their crate and sees it as their own safe space is "normally quite happy to be left for about three hours."

That's a helpful benchmark, but it's guidance based on a well-adjusted adult dog with a genuinely positive crate association, not a fixed ceiling that applies regardless of context, and not a substitute for judging your own dog's individual needs.

PDSA's own crate-training guidance lands on a similar ceiling from a different angle, stating plainly that dogs should "never" be left in a crate "for more than 3 hours," and flagging that "some dogs may not tolerate even that long."

Puppies

Puppies are a different case. The RSPCA notes plainly that puppies "are unable to hold their bladders and bowels for as long as adult dogs can," and that this needs factoring in whenever you're deciding how long to leave one crated.

Neither the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, PDSA, nor the Royal Kennel Club (formerly the Kennel Club) publishes a specific puppy-only hour figure on the crate pages we checked, though PDSA's own crate guidance does note dogs should be left "less" than its general three-hour ceiling "if your dog isn't used to it" — consistent with, though not a substitute for, an actual puppy-specific number.

Dogs Trust's own advice is to speak to your vet about what's appropriate for your individual dog, since a young puppy's bladder control, attention span, and confidence in the crate all vary.

When the routine is the problem

The bigger point both organisations make, in different words, is the same: a puppy's bladder and attention span are the limiting factor, not the crate itself, and a dog of any age left in a crate for far longer than they can genuinely cope with is a welfare concern regardless of how good the crate is.

If you're regularly leaving a dog crated for a full working day, a bigger or nicer crate won't fix that; it's worth a rethink of your routine, or a chat with your vet, instead.

Is crate training cruel? An honest answer

Short answer: not inherently, but it can go wrong, and it's worth being upfront about both sides rather than defending crates as a blanket good.

Used correctly (the right size, a genuinely positive introduction, sensible time limits, and never as punishment), a crate is not cruelty. It's a widely recommended tool among UK welfare organisations for house-training, safe alone-time, and reducing travel stress, and the RSPCA and Dogs Trust guidance quoted throughout this article reflects that mainstream welfare position, not a fringe view.

But there's a real version of crate training that is a genuine problem: a crate used as a long-term confinement solution instead of a short-term aid, a crate that's really an oversized cage a dog is simply locked in for hours on end, or a crate used punitively after the fact when it should have been positive from the start.

All three of those cross from "tool" into "welfare concern," and no crate, however well-built, fixes a routine that leaves a dog shut away too long or too often.

It's also worth saying plainly: not every dog takes to a crate, and that's not a failure of technique.

A dog who's already deeply anxious, an older dog set in decades of different habits, or any dog who's had a bad, forced introduction to a crate in the past may simply never come to see it as a safe space, no matter how carefully you reintroduce it.

Some households manage perfectly well without a crate at all: a pen, a stairgated room, or simply free access to a dog-proofed space can do the same job.

Crate training is a genuinely useful tool for a lot of dogs, not a universal requirement for every dog, and this guide isn't trying to talk you into one if it clearly isn't working for yours.

Where to put the crate in your home

Placement affects both how quickly your dog settles and how well house-training actually goes, so it's worth more thought than "wherever it fits."

Aim for somewhere that's part of the household's normal activity: not an isolated back room or a garage. A crate stuck somewhere quiet and cut off from the family can end up feeling like exile rather than a den, which works against the whole point of positive association.

At the same time, avoid the busiest, loudest spot in the house; a corner of the living room or a quiet-ish part of the kitchen tends to strike the right balance between "included" and "not overwhelmed."

Avoid direct sunlight and anywhere near a radiator, both of which can make a crate uncomfortably hot even in a cool room, and avoid draughty spots near external doors or ill-fitting windows.

A dog left too warm or too cold in a crate for any length of time is a genuine discomfort issue, regardless of how good the training has been.

It's also worth drying your dog off before they settle in, since a wet, muddy dog going straight into the crate after a walk leaves damp bedding that takes a while to air out. If soaked, muddy walks are a regular feature of your routine, our guide to dog raincoats covers when one actually helps.

Try to settle on one consistent location rather than moving the crate around the house regularly. Dogs build the sense of "this is my space" partly through familiarity and routine; a crate that keeps relocating undermines that, even if the crate itself hasn't changed.

Crates and car travel: a quick note

A quick scope note before this section: This is general information about crates as one recognised way to meet car-restraint guidance, not legal advice, and it's a brief cross-reference rather than a full legal explainer — for the detailed law (Highway Code Rule 57, Road Traffic Act 1988 s.3, and the Construction and Use Regulations 1986), see our dedicated guide, linked below.

A secured crate, typically a plastic travel crate or a wire crate specifically rated for vehicle use, is one recognised way to help meet the Highway Code's guidance that pets should be "suitably restrained" in a vehicle.

It isn't the only option (harnesses and boot guards are common alternatives), and which one suits your car and your dog is really its own topic.

For the full legal detail on what "suitably restrained" actually means, what it doesn't mean, and what the law does and doesn't require depending on where in the UK you're driving, see our guide: Dog Car Safety: UK Law and Restraints.

What about cats, rabbits, and other pets?

If you're searching for a crate for a cat or a rabbit, the issue is usually the product name, not the size. Cats are generally transported and contained in carriers, not crates: a different, usually much smaller product built around short trips to the vet or a house move, without the training use-case this guide is built around.

Rabbits and other small mammals aren't crate-trained in this sense at all; they live full-time in a hutch or cage sized to permanent-housing welfare guidelines, not a training aid used for short stretches.

As a benchmark, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund recommends a continuously accessible main living area of at least 3m x 2m by 1m high for a pair of average-sized rabbits, with any hutch or sleeping quarters within that space measuring at least 1.8m x 0.6m x 0.6m high, and is clear that a hutch alone should never be a rabbit's only accommodation.

These are genuinely different products solving a different problem, not smaller versions of a dog crate.

Common mistakes when choosing or using a crate

Buying by breed stereotype instead of your dog's actual measurements

Two dogs of the same breed can differ meaningfully in size. Measure your own dog (see the earlier section); don't just buy whatever size the pet shop labels with your dog's breed.

Oversizing "to be safe" without a divider panel

A crate that's too large for your dog's current size can actually work against house-training — a dog has enough room to toilet in one corner and still sleep comfortably away from it, which undermines the "won't soil where they sleep" instinct the crate is meant to use.

If you're buying ahead of a puppy's adult size, use a divider panel to keep the usable space appropriately snug, rather than leaving the full adult-sized space open from day one.

Skipping the positive-introduction process

Buying the right crate and then expecting a dog to walk in and settle immediately, with no gradual introduction, is one of the most common reasons crate training "doesn't work" for a given dog. It's rarely the crate — it's usually the introduction.

Using the crate as punishment, even once

As covered above, this can undo weeks of positive association in a single incident.

Ignoring duration guidance because "they seem fine"

A dog can appear settled and still be crated for longer than is genuinely comfortable. Quiet doesn't always mean content. Stick to the general guidance in the earlier section — whether your dog is barking isn't a reliable measure on its own.

Choosing soft-sided for a dog that isn't already calm and crate-trained

As covered in the type comparison above, this is the one type that can go wrong quickly: a dog who chews or scratches at an unfamiliar enclosure can damage or escape a soft-sided crate in a way they simply can't with wire or plastic.

What to expect to pay

Prices vary a lot by size and brand, and we're not listing specific products or live prices here. This is a general sense of the price bands you're likely to encounter, checked 28 August 2026 and worth re-checking at the point you actually buy, since prices move.

• Budget wire crates typically run from around £25–£70 depending on size, and represent good value for a first crate, particularly with a divider panel for a growing puppy.

• Mid-range plastic/travel crates tend to sit around £40–£110, with airline-approved models generally toward the top of that range.

• Soft-sided crates are usually similarly priced to budget-to-mid-range wire crates, roughly £30–£80, reflecting their lighter materials, not a premium feature set.

• Furniture-style crates are the outlier, typically starting around £150 and running well past £400 for larger sizes or more elaborate designs — reflecting the furniture-making cost more than any functional upgrade over a well-chosen wire crate.

A crate itself is a one-off cost. The bigger ongoing expense over your dog's life is routine care like flea, tick, and worm treatment — see our flea, tick, and worm guide for how often it's needed.

Get the size right, pick the type that matches how you'll actually use it, and keep an eye on welfare guidance rather than habit.