Start with two measurements
Most sizing mistakes come from guessing. Stand your dog on a flat floor and take two numbers. The first is length: from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, not the tip of the tail. The second is height: from the floor to the top of the head while standing, or to the tips of the ears if they stand up. Write both down before you look at a single crate.
Add a hand's width, not a room
Add roughly ten centimetres to each measurement. That is enough space to stand up, turn around and lie flat on one side. It is not enough space to pace, and that is the point. A crate is a den, and a den works because it is snug. Most dogs settle faster in a space that holds them a little, the same way most of us sleep better in a bed than in the middle of an empty hall.
When a crate is too large, two things tend to happen. Puppies learn that one corner can be used as a toilet while the other stays dry, which undoes house training. Adult dogs often ignore the open space entirely and curl into one end, which tells you the extra size bought nothing. If you are buying for a puppy that will grow, choose the adult size and use a divider panel to shrink the usable floor until they fill it.
Check the shape, not only the size
- Deep-chested dogs such as greyhounds, whippets and pointers need more length than height. A low, long crate suits them better than a tall cube.
- Short-legged, long-bodied dogs need the same length as a much taller breed. Measure the body, not the shoulder.
- Dogs that sleep stretched out on their side need the extra length more than dogs that curl. Watch how yours sleeps for a week before you decide.
The door decides how the crate gets used
Once the size is right, the door matters more than anything else. A crate that opens on the short side has to sit with that end facing into the room, which rarely fits where you want it. A side-opening or double-door crate can go against a wall, under a desk or at the end of a sofa and still be easy to walk into. Look at where the crate will live and where the dog will approach it from, then pick the door to match.
The latch should be something you can open with one hand while holding a lead or a mug. If it takes two hands, it will end up left open, and an always-open crate stops being a den.
A quick test before you commit
Lay a towel on the floor folded to the internal dimensions you are considering, and ask your dog to lie on it. If their nose or paws hang off when they are fully stretched, go up a size. If they lie down in the middle with room to spare on every side, go down one. Ten minutes with a towel saves a return and a lot of cardboard.
Our crates list internal floor dimensions on every product page, measured inside the frame, because that is the number that matters.