Dog Crate Sizing

When it comes to picking the right size dog crate for your pet, you want to consider two things.

The first is movement room. You do want your dog to be able to completely turn around inside of their cage, but you don't want them to have more room than they need to do that. If you give your dog too much room, they can still use the bathroom in one part of the cage while they sleep in another. This defeats the purpose of having a dog crate, since you want to provide a cozy, safe environment that mimics a dog's den in it's natural habitat.

Next, you need to make sure that your dog is comfortable in their cage. As mentioned before, they should be able to turn around inside of their cage. They also need to be able to lie down or completely stand up comfortably. The object of a dog crate is to make it a safe home for your pet. Obviously, you would want to be able to move inside of your own home and also feel safe there. The same is true for a dog.

There are a few things that you can do to make sure you have made the right decision. If you have a full-grown dog, start by weighing and measuring your dog. Make sure you get a measurement, in inches, for both the height and the length of your dog. When you measure them, be sure they are standing completely upright. In each direction that you measure, pick the point on your dog that extends the most. If you have a puppy, research some information on the size and weight of a full-grown adult dog of the same breed.

Once you have your measurements, add about 10% to both your height and length measurements. This will give the dog a bit of movement room but not too much. For a 20" long dog, you would add another 2" to it's length. For a 40" long dog, you add 4". You really don't need to worry about the width of your dog or the dog crate. If the height and length fits the cage, then the width will be appropriate for your dog.

Below, we have listed each of the dog crate size groups along with some general measurement guidelines for that size. Look through this information to determine the best size group for your dog and then proceed down the page to find the section dedicated to your dog's size (or find that section in the table of contents above).

Extra Small Dog Crate:
Cage Weights: 1 - 10 pounds
Crate Length: 18" - 22"
Crate Height: 14" - 16"

Small Dog Crate:
Cage Weights: 11 - 25 pounds
Crate Length: 24"
Crate Height: 19" - 21"

Medium Dog Crate:
Cage Weights: 26 - 40 pounds
Crate Length: 30"
Crate Height: 21" - 24"

Large Dog Crate:
Cage Weights: 41 - 70 pounds
Crate Length: 36"
Crate Height: 25" - 27"

Extra Large Dog Crate:
Cage Weights: 71 - 90 pounds
Crate Length: 42"
Crate Height: 30" - 31"

XXL Dog Crate:
Cage Weights: 90+ pounds
Crate Length: 46"
Crate Height: 33"

Extra small dog crates are made for the toy dog breeds like the Chihuahua, Terrier breeds, Maltese, Papillon, Pomeranion, Pug and Shih Tzu. These are just a few of the possible dog breeds that are well suited for this dog crate size. They generally only make a single and double door model of this size because it is simply too small to have any need for a third door. The extra small dog crate is recommended for dogs that weigh somewhere between 1 and 10 pounds. They should also be less than roughly 20 inches long and about 14 inches tall. If your dog exceeds these measurements, you should consider looking at the small dog crates.

Recommended Extra Small Dog Crates

• Midwest iCrate Extra Small (Single-Door)

The small dog crate sizes are also for toy dog breeds, but these are made for dogs that are somewhat bigger, longer or weigh more than some of the tiny breeds. These dog breeds can also include Terrier breeds as well as the Miniature Dachshund, Maltese, Miniature Poodle and the Tibetan Spaniel. Again, this is just a partial list of the possible dog breeds that may be suited for these small dog crates. The small dog crates are designed for dogs that weigh between 11 and 25 pounds. They should be used for dogs that are less than 22 inches in length and 19 inches in height. Unlike the extra small dog crates, the small dog crates can offer a three door model. Again, if your dog is slightly larger than the recommended weights or dimensions for the small dog crates then you should seriously consider looking at the next size up, the medium dog crates.

Recommended Small Dog Crates

• Midwest iCrate Small (Double-Door)

Medium dog crates are great for a lot of the small house dogs, especially the ones that are too big for the small dog crate sizes. Good breeds for medium dog crates include the American Pit Bull, Spaniel breeds like the Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, French Bulldog, Miniature Pinscher, Miniature Schnauzer and the Shetland Sheepdog. This is also just a partial list to give you an idea of the dog sizes that we are talking about here. Medium dog crates are designed for 26 to 40 pound dogs that are less than 22 inches in height and less than 28 inches long. If your dog slightly exceeds any of these limits, you should upgrade to a large dog crate size.

Recommended Medium Dog Crates

• Midwest Life Stages Medium (Single-Door)

The large dog crates are made for some of our most favorite large dog breeds that are very common in backyards across America. Many people want to be able to keep their beloved pets indoors, especially during the cold months of the year. For this reason, the large dog crates come in handy. Some of the dog breeds that will work well with the large dog crates are the Belgian Sheepdog, Bull Terrier, Bulldog, English Setter, Schnauzer and the Welsh Corgi. The large dog crates are made for dogs that weigh between 41 and 70 pounds and are less than about 25 inches tall and less than 34 inches long. If your dog exceeds these limits, take a look at the weights and dimensions of the extra large dog crates.

Recommended Large Dog Crates

• Midwest Life Stages Large Dog Crate (Double-Door)

The extra large dog crates are also made for some of the most popular backyard dog breeds like the Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, Boxer, Chow-Chow, Dalmation, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Siberian Husky and the Poodle. These are quite possible some of the most popular of all of the large dog breeds. The extra large dog crates are designed for dogs between 71 and 90 pounds that are less than 40 inches long and 30 inches tall. If your dog is over these weight and dimension limits, you truly have a mammoth dog and should take a look at the XXL dog crate sizes.

Recommended Extra Large Dog Crates

• Midwest Life Stages Extra Large (Double-Door)

XXL dog crates are for the largest of the dog breeds. Almost all breeds of dogs should be able to fit into one of these dog crates, although it is recommended for dogs like the Alaskan Malamute, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bloodhound, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Mastiff breeds, Newfoundland, Old English Sheepdog, Rottweiler and the St. Bernard. These are just some of the most popular XXL dog breeds to give you an idea of the dog size for these crates. The XXL dog crates are made for dogs that are over 90 pounds. Unfortunately, you will need to seek out an even bigger dog crate if your dog is less than about 45 inches long or 32 inches tall. XXL dog crates offer many different models include single, double and triple-door crates.

Recommended XXL Dog Crates

• Midwest Life Stages XXL (Double-Door)