Crate RulerCrate size calculator / Puppy crate
What size crate for a puppy?
Buy the size for the grown dog, and set the divider for the puppy now.
A mix, or not on the list? Use Adult weight.
For a grown dog. Measure it standing, and sitting up.
For a puppy: the weight you expect it to reach as an adult. Not sure? Give a range.
The red pin marks the crate length on the tape, in inches.
Between 40 and 60 pounds the size could be 30 or 36 inches. Buy the 36-inch crate and use the divider; if your dog ends up near 40 pounds, 30 inches would have done.
Measure your puppy, and the space to leave appears here.
One crate, two settings
A puppy outgrows a crate sized for today within months. So size the crate by the weight the puppy will reach as an adult, and make it smaller for now with a divider panel.
Worked example: a puppy expected to weigh 40 to 60 pounds as an adult needs a 36-inch crate (41 to 70 pounds fits 36; 40 pounds alone would fit 30, so buy the larger). Today it is 12 inches long, nose to base of tail, so set the divider to leave 16 inches of space. Move it back as the puppy grows.
Don't know the adult weight? Ask the breeder or shelter what the parents weigh, or pick the breed in the calculator. For a mix, give a range and buy the larger size.
The weight bands follow the crate chart PetMD publishes; the plus-4-inches rule is the one Chewy and crate maker MidWest give. Breed weights are typical adult ranges and vary from dog to dog. Sizes here are lengths; widths differ by brand.
Questions
What size crate for an 8-week-old puppy?
The size for the adult dog, by its expected adult weight, with the divider set to the puppy's length today plus 4 inches.
Can a crate be too big for a puppy?
Without a divider, a big crate leaves room to soil one end and sleep at the other. The divider shrinks the space now, and the same crate fits the grown dog.
Should I buy a small crate now and a big one later?
You can, but you will buy twice. One adult-size crate with a divider does both jobs.
My puppy is a mix. How do I guess its adult size?
Use the parents' weights if you know them. Otherwise give a range in Adult weight and buy the larger size.