Crate sizing looks like it should be simple and it produces more returned purchases than almost anything else in this category. The reason is that people size by weight or by breed name, and neither works: a 45 lb basset and a 45 lb whippet need very different boxes, and “labrador size” means nothing for a small labrador.
There are exactly two measurements, and one rule to check them against.
The two measurements
Length
With the dog standing, measure from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail— where the tail joins the body, not the end of the tail. Including the tail is the single most common sizing error, and it typically pushes people a whole crate size up. Add two to four inches.
Height
With the dog sitting, measure from the floor to the top of the head. If your dog has naturally upright ears, measure to the tips of the ears instead, so it is not pressing them against the roof. Add two to four inches.
The rule those numbers have to satisfy
The AKC’s crate guidance gives the test in three parts. Inside the crate, your dog must be able to:
- Stand up without ducking its head
- Turn around fully, without shuffling
- Lie down stretched out on its side
And — the part people forget — not much more than that. The stand-turn-lie rule is a minimum and a target, because the crate’s housetraining value comes from a dog’s natural reluctance to soil the space it sleeps in. Give it a spare end and that instinct stops working.
The size table
Crates are sold by internal length in inches. This is the standard range and the rough guide to which dogs land where — but treat it as a starting point, and let your two measurements make the final call.
| Crate size | Fits a dog roughly | Typical breeds |
|---|
| 24 in | Up to about 20 in long | Chihuahua, Yorkshire terrier, papillon |
| 30 in | Up to about 26 in long | Cocker spaniel, French bulldog, mini schnauzer |
| 36 in | Up to about 32 in long | Border collie, springer, bulldog |
| 42 in | Up to about 38 in long | Labrador, golden retriever, boxer |
| 48 in | Up to about 44 in long | German shepherd, rottweiler, dobermann |
| 54 in | Larger than 44 in | Great dane, mastiff, wolfhound |
Growing dogs: buy the adult size, use a divider
A puppy needs a puppy-sized space and will need an adult-sized one within a year. Buying two crates is the expensive answer; a divider panel is the cheap one. Buy the crate sized to the adult dog, fit the divider so today’s usable space just meets the stand-turn-lie rule, and move it back every few weeks as the dog grows.
Most wire crates either include a divider or have one sold separately for a few dollars. If a crate has no divider option at all, that is a reason to choose a different crate rather than to buy small.
