Crate & Kennel
A crate is sized from two measurements on the dog, and larger is not kinder.
The two numbers
Length = nose to the base of the tail, plus 5–10 cm. Not to the tail tip.
Height = floor to the top of the head with the dog sitting, plus 5–10 cm. For an upright-eared breed, measure to the ear tips — a Shepherd that has to flatten its ears to sit will not settle.
The dog must be able to stand without ducking, turn around without contorting, and lie fully extended on its side. That is the whole specification, and it is met by a crate that looks slightly small to a person.
| Dimension | Measure | Add |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Nose → tail base | 5–10 cm |
| Height | Sitting, to head or ear tips | 5–10 cm |
| Width | Follows from length in every standard crate | — |
Why extra room works against you
The crate does its job for housetraining because a dog will not soil where it sleeps. Give it enough floor that one end can be a bed and the other a toilet and that instinct stops applying — the crate becomes a pen, and the housetraining benefit disappears entirely.
This is what the divider panel is for. Buy the crate that fits the adult dog, then move the divider forward so the puppy has only what it needs, and let it out as the puppy grows.
The other reason it matters
In a vehicle, empty space is travel distance in a stop. A crate sized to the dog restrains it; a crate the dog slides around inside does not.
The pages below take one decision at a time — which size, which construction, and the sharing question that has a firmer answer than most people expect.
8 articles
Airline Crate Sizing — The Measurements Airlines Actually CheckA crate that is big enough for the dog can still be refused, and a crate that passes at one airline can fail at the next.
Using a Crate Divider — How Much Space to Give a Puppy, and When to Move ItBuying three crates as a puppy grows is the expensive way. Buying one and moving a panel is the cheap way, if you move it at the right rate.
The Crate Is Too Big — The Problems That Causes and How to Fix ThemAlmost every crate-training failure people describe turns out to be a crate with a spare corner in it.
Where to Put the Crate — Corner of a Used Room, Not a Spare OneThe most common crate-training failure is not the crate or the schedule. It is the location, and it is decided before the dog arrives.
Can Two Dogs Share a Crate? Usually They Should NotThe sizing question has an answer. The prior question — whether to share at all — has a better one, and it is usually no.
Wire, Plastic or Soft Crate? Ventilation, Den Instinct and Whether It FoldsThree constructions, and the right one depends less on the dog's size than on where the crate lives and what the dog does when left in it.
What Size Crate for a Puppy? Buy for the Adult and Use the DividerThis is the one sizing question on this site where too big is a real problem rather than a minor waste. The reason is behavioural, not physical.
Dog Crate Sizing: Measure the Dog, Not the Breed — and Bigger Is Not KinderCrate sizing is one of the few places where too big is a real problem. The whole method is two measurements and a rule about what the extra space is used for.