What is the best dog crates for home or travelling? Your canine companions should be secured when in the car. A dog travel crate in the trunk or on the back seat is an excellent method. If you need to take your dog with you on a plane, you must have an airline-approved travel crate. Many rail operators also require dogs to be kept in a box while on their trains.
The Best Dog Crates
We reviewed dozens of dog travel crates to identify the best of the best. We considered a range of factors, including size, material, durability, comfort, portability, and average customer reviews. If you want to be sure your pup is comfortable in his crate (and out) while you’re on the road, check out our list of the best dog travel beds, and keep him entertained with one of the best dog chew toys. For the ultimate in convenient travelling with your dog, we’ve also reviewed the best dog travel bowls and the best dog travel water bottles.
What Is The Best Dog Crates For Travelling?
Whether you’re travelling, camping, or looking for a more permanent crate-bed for your dog, you’ll choose carefully. While searching, it might be useful to do some homework to make sure you’re getting the crate that best suits your needs. There are many options, and while any could satisfy your pup’s needs, it couldn’t hurt to form a mental checklist of what you want to get out of your crate.
How To Choose The Best Dog Crates
When choosing the right dog crate, you want to make sure you’re getting the correct size. So step one is to measure your dog. Beyond capacity, there are different types of dog crates. We looked at dozens of large dog crates, including wire crates, luxury crates, and portable dog crates to find the best options based on price, durability, ease of use, feedback from Amazon users, and other factors. We narrowed our search down to 5 of the best large dog crates you can buy, depending on your needs.
Important Features to Consider
When you’re looking into finding the best large dog crate suitable for your dog and home, there are several essential features to consider:
- Size. You want to make sure the box is functional. The first step in doing so is making sure the size is right for your pup. If you’re buying a crate for a puppy, keep in mind your puppy will be growing. You may want to talk to your vet about how big your friend is going to get at full size.
- Durability. If you’re starting to crate train your dog as a puppy, you’ll want to avoid putting your puppy in a plastic or cloth crate full time. Puppies like to chew, and when they’re first learning their boundaries with a box, they’ll destroy a container if it’s not made of heavy-duty material. A metal cage is an excellent place to start with puppy crate training.
- Travel compliant. You’ll want to check with airport and airline regulations and err on the side of caution for the flying pup. If one airline is more strict than another, then go with the most stringent control when picking your pooch’s crate.
- Collapsible. If you plan to take your dog with you on road trips or camping, you may want to look at a crate made of cloth and collapses easily. And a site that is familiar to him will minimize his anxiety in new places.
- Aesthetics. If you’re planning on keeping your dog’s crates in your living room as a constant fixture, you’ll want to consider its aesthetics. You may want to find a box that will double as a table of some kind. If that’s the case, you’ll want to match the rest of your decor with its color and style.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you determine the size of dog crates?
Here’s the deal on kennel sizing: First, take your dog’s dimensions. Then, choose a kennel that gives your dog 1-2 inches height clearance, 4-6 inches length clearance, and enough room to turn around. Finally, measure the space where you’ll place your crate. Compare your pet’s measurements and interior space against a kennel’s interior and exterior dimensions, and you’ll have the perfect fit!
How do you measure a dog for a crate?
You’ll need to measure your dog’s length, height, and width to find the right size. For length, measure from the dog nose to the end of the dog tail. The pet height is measured from the pet paws to the peak of the dog head. The ears, if they are clipped. The width shouldn’t be a problem for any crate, but just to be sure, measure the broadest part of his chest and waist.
How long is too long to leave a dog in a dog crates?
You want to make sure your dog doesn’t suffer by being in the crate too long, and as such, you’ll wish to the full days in the box to be an occasional occurrence. 8 hours is the maximum time a dog to be locked in the dog crate. You’ll also want to make sure your dog is getting the proper exercise. The periods within the dog crate; 30-60 minutes is ideal.
You may find; however, your dog actually prefers being in his crate. It may become his comfort zone. If that’s the case, just be sure to open the crate door so he can move freely.
Where is the best place to put dog crates?
Dogs are social creatures, so your placement of the crate should not isolate them. For daily use, place the box in a busy part of the house. Let them see you working in the kitchen or your kids playing in the living room. He will want to feel like part of the pack, and putting his crate someplace central will help with that.
At night, you’ll want to keep the crate in your bedroom, at least at first. This will let him see and smell you to calm down for sleep. If you don’t want to keep him in the room with you, transition in baby steps each night further away from your bed until the crate is in the place you’d like to end up for bedtime.
EliteField 3-Door Folding Soft Dog Crates, Indoor & Outdoor Pet Home
If you’ve been perusing the smorgasbord of portable, soft-sided large dog crates, add this one to the list. Crafted from sturdy steel tubing and premium 600D fabric – a highly durable, flex mesh – this three-doored crate is lightweight, fresh, and well ventilated. What’s more, it has about 4” more headspace than most softboxes, giving your beloved dog a bit more room to get comfortable. A free carrying bed and fleece bed is included with the purchase.