Types of Dog Crates Explained

There are five types of dog crate in ordinary use — wire, plastic, soft-sided, furniture-style and heavy-duty — and they are not interchangeable. A wire crate that suits a settled adult in the kitchen is the wrong answer for a dog who panics, and a soft-sided crate that's perfect for a calm traveling dog will be shredded in an afternoon by a puppy who chews. Picking the type is a separate decision from picking the size, and getting the type wrong is what leads to a crate sitting unused in a garage. Work out the size first with the free crate size calculator, then use this page to choose which kind actually fits your dog and your house.

Wire Crates: The Default Choice

The collapsible metal crate is what most people picture, and for most dogs at home it is the right answer.

What it does well. It folds flat for storage and transport. It ventilates from every side, which matters more than people expect in a warm room. It almost always ships with a divider panel, so a single large crate can be shrunk to puppy size and expanded as the dog grows — meaning one purchase instead of three. The plastic tray slides out, so cleaning up an accident takes a minute rather than an hour.

What it does badly. It is noisy: the bars rattle when a dog shifts, and a restless dog in a wire crate is audible across the house. It is completely open, which unsettles dogs who want to feel hidden — though throwing a breathable cover over three sides fixes that almost entirely and is the standard trick.

Who it suits. Puppies, growing dogs, most adults, anyone crate training for the first time, and anyone who wants one crate to last the dog's life. If you are buying your first crate and have no specific reason to buy something else, buy a wire crate with a divider.

What to check before buying: that the divider is included rather than sold separately, that the door latches are two-point rather than single (single latches get nosed open), and that the tray is one solid piece rather than a folding one that leaks at the seam.

Plastic Crates: Enclosed and Portable

Sometimes called kennels or airline crates, these are molded shells that bolt together in two halves with a metal door at the front.

What it does well. The enclosed shape is genuinely den-like, and dogs who find a wire crate too exposed often settle far faster in plastic. It is quieter, warmer in a cold room, and it contains mess rather than letting it spread onto the floor. It is also the only type most airlines will accept in the hold, so if flying is ever on the cards this is the shape you need — the detail is in travel crate size for dogs.

What it does badly. It does not fold; it comes apart into two halves that still take up real space. Airflow is limited to the door and side vents, which makes it warmer than a wire crate in summer. The join between the halves collects hair and is awkward to clean properly. And there is no divider, so a plastic crate bought for a puppy is outgrown rather than adjusted.

Who it suits. Anxious dogs who want enclosure, dogs traveling by air or long distances by car, cold houses, and small breeds where the size difference between puppy and adult is minor.

Practical note: buy the two-halves-and-bolts design rather than a clip-together one. Airlines increasingly refuse the clip versions, and the bolted shells are considerably sturdier in a car.

Soft-Sided Crates: Light, Packable, and Not Containment

Fabric over a collapsible frame, with mesh panels and a zip door.

What it does well. It weighs very little, packs into a bag, and sets up in seconds. For a dog who is already reliably crate trained and settles quietly, it turns a hotel room, a friend's house or a campsite into a familiar space instantly. Dog-sport handlers use them constantly for exactly this reason.

What it does badly. It is not containment, and this is the single most important thing to understand about the type. A dog who chews, scratches, digs or panics will be out of a soft crate in minutes — either through the mesh or by simply collapsing it. It is also close to impossible to clean after an accident, because the fabric absorbs everything.

Who it suits. Calm, fully crate-trained adults who use the crate as a bed rather than as a barrier. Travel, shows, visits.

Who it does not suit: puppies, chewers, escape artists, any dog with separation distress, and any dog you have not yet finished training. Buying soft first is one of the more common and more expensive mistakes.

Furniture Crates: For Dogs Who Are Already Settled

Wooden or rattan crates built to look like a side table, sideboard or bench.

What it does well. It stops the crate from looking like equipment. In a living room, a furniture crate is the difference between a dog having a den in the middle of family life and being shut away in a utility room — and dogs generally do better in the middle of family life. Many double as a genuinely useful surface.

What it does badly. It is heavy, expensive, and permanent — you are not moving it between rooms casually or taking it in the car. There is no divider, so it must be bought at adult size. And the wood is chewable, which makes it entirely unsuitable for a dog still learning.

Who it suits. Settled adult dogs, fully crate trained, in a room where appearance matters.

One caution: check the ventilation honestly before buying. Some furniture crates are close to solid on three sides with only a slatted front, and that is not enough airflow for a warm room.

Heavy-Duty Crates: The Last Resort

Welded steel tube construction, reinforced corners, lockable latches, often on castors.

What it does well. It holds dogs that nothing else holds. For a genuine escape artist, or a large powerful dog who has already destroyed two crates, this is the type that works.

What it does badly. It is very heavy, very expensive, and it looks like what it is. It also carries a real risk of masking the underlying problem.

The important caveat. Most dogs who break out of crates are not escape artists — they are distressed. A dog who panics, drools, vocalises continuously and injures itself trying to get out is telling you something that a stronger crate does not answer. Escalating to steel can make a genuinely frightened dog worse. If that is the picture, the conversation to have is about separation distress with your vet or a qualified behaviourist, not about crate gauge. Heavy-duty is right for the dog who is calm, methodical and simply very good at opening things.

How Do the Types Compare?

Reading the table honestly: the wire crate wins on flexibility, which is why it is the default. Plastic wins on enclosure and travel. Everything else is a specialist answer to a specific problem.

Which Type Should You Actually Buy?

Work through it in this order and the answer usually falls out.

Is this your first crate, for a puppy or a dog still learning? Wire, with a divider, bought at adult size. Nothing else gives you one purchase that lasts.

Does your dog find open spaces unsettling — pacing, refusing to settle, always choosing under tables? Plastic, or wire with a cover over three sides. Try the cover first; it costs a fraction as much.

Will the dog ever fly? Plastic, bolted halves, and check the airline's specification before buying rather than after.

Is the dog fully trained, calm in the crate, and the crate lives in a living room? Furniture, if appearance matters and the ventilation checks out.

Do you travel often with a dog who settles quietly? Soft-sided as a second crate — never as the only one.

Has the dog already destroyed two crates while calm and methodical about it? Heavy-duty. If the destruction came with panic, drooling or self-injury, get behavioral help first.

And whichever type you land on, size is the decision that actually determines whether the dog uses it. A correctly chosen type at the wrong size fails just as completely as the wrong type — the method is in how to measure your dog for a crate, and there are breed-by-breed starting points in the dog crate size chart by breed.

What About Two Crates?

Common, sensible, and worth planning for rather than stumbling into.

The usual pairing is a wire crate at home and a plastic or soft-sided crate for the car and trips. The dog learns one set of rules and applies it in both places, which is the whole point.

A second crate upstairs is worth it if your dog sleeps in a bedroom but spends the day downstairs. Carrying a crate up and down stairs twice a day is a resolution that lasts about two weeks.

What matters more than the crates is that the bedding smells the same and the routine is identical — same cue word, same settle, same release. Dogs generalise on routine far more than on the object.

And a note on cost. Two mid-range crates almost always work out better than one expensive one, because the failure mode of a single crate is that it lives in the wrong room and gets used half as much.

Wire vs Plastic: The Decision Most People Face

In practice, the choice is usually between these two, and it splits along one line: does your dog want to see out, or want to hide?

Dogs who want to see out — most confident, sociable dogs — do better in wire. Blocking their view creates frustration rather than calm.

Dogs who want to hide — noise-sensitive dogs, rescues still settling, dogs in busy households — do better enclosed. Plastic, or a covered wire crate.

If you genuinely can't tell, buy wire and try it uncovered for a week, then covered for a week. The dog will make the decision obvious. The full comparison, including cleaning, transport and cost over time, is in wire vs plastic dog crate.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Type

Buying soft-sided first. It is light, cheap-looking and appealing, and it fails immediately with any dog who is not already trained.

Buying to fit a room rather than a dog. A crate chosen because it fits an alcove, and which the dog cannot stand up and turn around in, will not get used. Measure the dog, then find somewhere for the crate.

Buying plastic for a large-breed puppy. A Labrador puppy in a plastic crate needs a bigger plastic crate four months later. Wire with a divider is one purchase.

Escalating to heavy-duty for a panicking dog. It treats the symptom and often worsens the cause.

Skipping the divider. People buy the adult-size wire crate and give the puppy the whole space, then wonder why toileting habits do not develop. The divider is the mechanism — puppy-sizing the space is what makes crate training work at all, and the sizing rule is in what size crate for a puppy.

Assuming crate type fixes crate behavior. No type of crate trains a dog. The training does that, and the process is in how to crate train a puppy.

FAQ

What are the main types of dog crates?

Five: wire (collapsible metal, the default), plastic (enclosed, airline-friendly), soft-sided (light and packable), furniture-style (doubles as a side table), and heavy-duty (welded steel for genuine escape artists).

Which type of dog crate is best?

For most dogs, a wire crate with a divider — it ventilates well, folds flat, and adjusts as a puppy grows, so one crate lasts. Plastic is better for anxious dogs and for air travel.

Are soft-sided crates safe for puppies?

No. Soft crates are not containment, and a puppy who chews or scratches will be through the mesh quickly. They suit calm adults who are already fully crate trained and use the crate as a bed.

Do I need a plastic crate to fly with my dog?

For travel in the hold, almost always yes — most airlines require a rigid crate with bolted halves, and each airline publishes its own specification. Check the specific airline's requirements before buying.

Is a heavy-duty crate worth it?

Only for a dog who genuinely escapes while remaining calm about it. If the escaping comes with panic, drooling or self-injury, that is separation distress and a stronger crate treats the symptom rather than the cause — speak to your vet or a behaviourist.

Can one crate work for a puppy and an adult dog?

Yes, if it is a wire crate with a divider. Buy it at the dog's projected adult size and move the divider back as the puppy grows, which keeps the space puppy-sized for toilet training without needing a second purchase.

Pick the Type, Then Pick the Size

Crate type comes down to a short list of questions: is the dog still learning, does it want to see out or hide, will it ever fly, and has it already broken out of something. For most households the answer is a wire crate with a divider, and for anxious or traveling dogs it is plastic — everything else is a specialist answer. Whichever you choose, the size is what determines whether the dog actually uses it, so settle that first: the free crate size calculator turns your dog's measurements into the right crate dimensions in a few seconds.