Crate sizing
Dog Crate Size Guide
The weight range on a crate box describes an average dog. Yours isn't average. Here is how to size a crate from the dog in front of you.
Picks and specs last checked .
The complaint
“The box said 40 to 70 pounds. He’s 60. He can’t stand up in it and he cries.”
The weight range is the manufacturer’s guess at an average dog of that weight. It ignores build, and build is what a crate has to fit. A 60-pound Greyhound is a long, tall dog. A 60-pound Bulldog is neither. Same box, different animals, and one of them doesn’t fit.
Why it fails
- The size in the name is the outside. A “36-inch crate” is 36 inches long over the frame. Inside, after the door and the bars, it’s usually 33 or 34. Every retailer rounds up.
- Height gets ignored. Length is on the box in big type. Inside height, the number that decides whether the dog stands up straight, is in the small print or missing.
- Weight ranges overlap. The same 50-pound dog appears in the range for the 30-inch and the 36-inch crate on the same page. The range was never meant to be a fit guide.
- Puppies get sized for today. A crate bought for a 12-week-old puppy is outgrown by six months, and the second crate is the expensive one.
Starting points by breed
These are typical adult measurements and the standard wire-crate length they usually land on. They are starting points, not answers. Two dogs of the same breed can differ by 4 inches in length, which is the difference between crate sizes. Measure yours.
| Breed | Typical nose-to-tail | Typical head height | Usual crate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier | 12–16 in | 9–12 in | 24 in |
| French Bulldog, Pug, Boston Terrier | 18–22 in | 12–14 in | 30 in |
| Beagle, Cocker Spaniel, Corgi | 20–26 in | 14–18 in | 30 in |
| Border Collie, Australian Shepherd | 26–32 in | 20–23 in | 36 in |
| Labrador, Golden Retriever, Boxer | 32–36 in | 24–26 in | 42 in |
| German Shepherd, Husky, Doberman | 34–40 in | 25–28 in | 42–48 in |
| Rottweiler, Bernese Mountain Dog | 36–42 in | 27–30 in | 48 in |
| Great Dane, Mastiff, Newfoundland | 42–50 in | 30–36 in | 54 in |
What the standard sizes give you inside
Wire crates come in six lengths. The inside height is the number most people never check.
| Crate | Typical inside length | Typical inside height |
|---|---|---|
| 24 in | 21–22 in | 19 in |
| 30 in | 27–28 in | 21 in |
| 36 in | 33–34 in | 25 in |
| 42 in | 40–41 in | 30 in |
| 48 in | 45–46 in | 33 in |
| 54 in | 51–52 in | 37 in |
Furniture-style crates don’t follow this scale. Their inside measurements are usually smaller than a wire crate of the same name, and some brands don’t publish them at all. Ask.
What to look for
Check every one before you buy. This is the part the pin couldn't fit.
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Inside length at least nose-to-tail plus 4 inches
Measure from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, not the tip, with the dog standing. Add 4 inches so the dog can turn around and lie stretched out. Use the inside measurement on the listing, which is usually 2 to 3 inches less than the size in the product name.
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Inside height at least floor-to-head plus 2 inches
Measure from the floor to the top of the head while the dog is standing normally, ears down. A crate that's long enough but low forces a hunch, and a dog that can't stand up straight learns to hate the box.
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Sized for the adult dog, with a divider for a puppy
A crate a puppy can grow into is the one crate you'll buy. A divider keeps the space small enough for house training, then moves back as the dog grows. Most wire crates include one; furniture crates rarely do.
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Not so big the dog can pee in one end and sleep in the other
The point of a crate is that dogs don't soil where they sleep. Give a house-training puppy a whole 48-inch crate and it will use the far end as a bathroom. Right-sized means room to stand, turn and lie down, and not much more.
What size dog crate for a Labrador or a Golden Retriever?
Usually a 42-inch crate. A typical adult Lab or Golden measures 32 to 36 inches nose to base of tail and 24 to 26 inches to the top of the head, which puts the inside need at 36 to 40 inches long and 26 to 28 high. A 36-inch crate is too low for most of them. Measure yours before you trust the breed.
What size dog crate for a German Shepherd?
A 42-inch crate for a smaller female, a 48-inch for most males. Shepherds run long in the back, often 36 to 40 inches nose to base of tail, so the length rule pushes many of them past 42. Check the inside height too: a large male can stand 27 to 28 inches at the head.
What size dog crate for a French Bulldog?
A 30-inch crate for most, a 24-inch for a small one. A Frenchie is short and wide, so the inside width matters more than for a lean breed. Check that the crate is at least 19 inches wide inside, and skip anything with a low door, since a broad chest catches on the frame.
What size dog crate for a 50-pound dog?
Weight can't answer that, which is the whole point of this page. A 50-pound Border Collie and a 50-pound Bulldog need different crates, one long and one wide. Measure nose to base of tail and floor to head, add 4 and 2 inches, and shop for the inside measurements. For most 50-pound dogs that lands on a 36-inch crate.
Is a 42-inch crate big enough for a 70-pound dog?
For most 70-pound dogs, yes. A 42-inch wire crate is usually 40 to 41 inches long inside and about 30 high, which fits a dog up to about 36 inches nose to base of tail and 28 inches to the head. A long-backed or tall 70-pound dog, such as a Shepherd or a Weimaraner, may need the 48.
The fixes
Products that pass, and where each one falls short
Every card below lists the product's known flaw. If we can't name one, we don't list it.
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The crates that pass, and where each one falls short, are on the dog crates guide.Go to the guide.
Get the crate sizing card
The two measurements, the plus-4 and plus-2 rule, and the standard crate sizes with their real inside heights, on one page for the store. We'll also email you when something in this category actually passes, which isn't often.