Dog Crates

A crate is not a cage in the punishment sense. Used well, it is a den: a small, predictable room where a dog sleeps, recovers after a vet visit, and waits out the chaos of a house full of visitors. The mistake most buyers make is shopping by price or by looks first. The size rule comes first, and it is unforgiving: the dog must be able to stand up without crouching, turn around without squeezing, and lie stretched out on its side. A crate that is too small is cruel. A crate that is far too big defeats house training, because a puppy will simply toilet in one corner and sleep in the other.

The twelve crates below cover the five honest families. Folding wire crates from MidWest, Amazon Basics and BestPet are the training workhorses, with divider panels that let a puppy grow into a full size crate. Hard plastic kennels from Petmate are the travel and car answer, with the Sky Kennel built around airline style construction. LUCKUP answers the escape artist problem with thick steel bars and double locks. Diggs and EliteField cover the portable end, one premium and collapsible, one soft and light. New Age Pet and Merry Products cover the living room, where the crate has to look like furniture and still function like a crate. Every pick is sold on Amazon, and every size figure is the maker or listing figure for the size named.