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Looking for the best dog crate to use with your extra small (or toy) breed dog? You won’t find much better than a metal wire dog crate.
Wire dog crates are extremely popular, being by a long way the most regularly bought and used crate today. So why are they the go to choice for most dog owners?
At a Glance: Our Choices of Best Crates for XL Dogs
- MidWest Life Stages Folding Metal Dog Crate
- Midwest iCrate Pet Crates
- ProSelect Easy Dog Crates for Dogs
- Precision Pet Two-Door Great Crate
Note: The links above take you to more information, current prices and customer reviews on Amazon.
Contents & Quick Navigation
What Makes a Wire Crate So Recommended for a Large Breed?
Change The Size of The Crate as Your Puppy Grows
One benefit of a wire crate is you only need to buy the right size to suit an adult dog of their breed, then resize it using the provided divider to suit the needs of a growing puppy while house training.
With crates coming in at tens or even hundreds of dollars in some cases, this can save a lot of money over the long run compared to buying new crates of the right size as your puppy grows.
They Are Easily The Best Value
Strong, last-lasting, easy to clean and safe and secure – all at a fantastic price that cannot be matched or beaten by crates made of any other material.
So if quality at an affordable price is an important factor, metal wire dog crates offer the best value by far and should be your first choice.
Open or Covered? You Decide!
Whereas most fabric and plastic crates are pretty much always covered with a solid roof and walls, this isn’t the case with a wire crate where the choice is yours.
So if the weather gets too hot, leave it uncovered and away from walls for maximum ventilation. If it gets too cold, cover it with sheets or a commercial cover to insulate and keep it warm.
This is a choice you don’t get with crates made from other materials.
They Will Outlast All Other Crate Types
Fabric, wood and plastic crates are very susceptible to damage over the years by a dogs claws and teeth, and not all of it is always intentional by the dog.
Just the odd scratch here and there soon adds up and a crate can look worn and damaged.
A wire dog crate though is extremely tough and can take anything that a dog can throw at it. They will last for many years, often becoming truly a ‘crate for a life’.
Collapsible for Transport and Storage
If you have a need to move the crate around, perhaps for travel or occasional storage, don’t let the fact these crates are made of metal put you off! Cumbersome and heavy they are not.
Wire crates can be broken down and put up again in seconds, collapsing down into an easily portable size with carry handles included and no tools needed.
They are the Easiest of All Crates to Keep Clean
Any food – or worse ‘bodily fluid’ – spillages that occur in a fabric, plastic or wooden crate is going to be a hard task to clean. Not so with a wire crate.
At the base of a wire crate is a slide out tray that’s easy to clean and then replace, with the rest of the crate simply need a wipe down with soap and a rinse with clean water. Simple and the easiest of all crates to keep clean.
Features to Look For in a Wire Dog Crate
A crate isn’t a completed thing, it only needs so many features and characteristics to make it a good fit for your needs. But what are those qualities?
Check through our little list of the most important features below that you should be looking for when buying crate, to make sure you get the best bang for your buck and the best crate for you and your dogs needs:
- Assembly and collapsing for travel or storage should be easy: To make the crate portable, opt for a model that has tool-free assembly and can be folded tool free too. It will save lots of time and frustration in the long run.
- Check that all wire ends are rounded. The last thing you want is for yourself or your dog to injure yourself on sharp wire edges. So make sure the crate you consider has no feedback complaining of sharp edges. It has been seen with some models.
- You want an epoxy coated crate, or made of stainless steel: To ensure you get a good value crate will last for years to come, make sure it’s resistant to corrosion and easy to wipe down. Stainless steel and epoxy resin coated are the features you want to look for.
- The tray should be easily removed for cleaning: Crates with a fixed base or an easy to remove tray are the same price essentially. Therefore, you may as well make your life easier and go for the one with a removable tray so it’s way more easy to clean when the need arises. (and that’s when, not if!)
- Make sure it’s the right size for your breed: This is the most important consideration for any crate! Your dog needs to be able to stretch our flat, stand without banging their head and easily turn around unrestricted. Smaller is cruel, larger and it loses the den like feeling a dog desires.
Best Dog Crates for Extra Large Dogs
Note: The crates on this page are handpicked to be perfectly sized for the following breeds:
Airedale Terrier, Australian Shepherd, Bearded Collie, Belgain Malinois, Border Collie, Boxer, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chow-Chow, Dalmatian, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Irish Setter, Labrador Retriever, Poodle, Siberian Husky.
Midwest dog crates are the single most popular crates for sale in America – and it’s easy to see why.
The company has been trading and producing dog crates now for over 90 years and in that time have truly perfected the art of creating high quality, feature rich yet affordable crates for all.
I’m sure nobody would argue that Midwest Homes for Pets are the most highly respected industry leaders in the space. Therefore we feature and recommend their two most popular models.
Following this are two great alternatives, from Proselect and precision pet. Very similar feature sets to the Midwest crates and certainly up there matching in quality.
Midwest Life Stages Folding Metal Dog Crate
[amazon fields=”B0002AT3ME” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_link=”none” image_class=”ais350″]
The best selling crate from the most popular brand of crates in America, The Midwest life stages crate comes highly recommended by all. No other crate receive such high praise and good reviews as this model.
Notable features:
- Double door crate, for easy access from the front and side.
- Tough, protective black electro-coat finish ensures good looks, durability and long life.
- Easily removable and easy to clean, tough ABS plastic tray in the base.
- 2 slide catches for closing the crate, rounded corners and no sharp edges – Safety and security is foremost with this crate.
- Complete with divider panel for re-sizing a larger crate to suit a puppy.
- Extremely easy to set-up and break down, with no tools required.
- Folds down into a suitcase size, complete with two handles, for ease of portability.
Click to learn more / check pricing.
Midwest iCrate Pet Crates
[amazon fields=”B000OX64P8″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_link=”none” image_class=”ais350″]
Another incredibly popular model of crate from Midwest Homes 4 Pets.
The iCrate series has a very similar feature set to the life stages series above, but there are some notable differences:
- The wire bars and grid on the life stage crates are a little thicker and closer together. This makes the life stages crates a little heavier, but more durable. In a Side by side comparison, the life stages crate just looks ‘tougher’.
- The iCrate model is also slightly narrower with a lower ceiling than the life stages for crates that are otherwise the same length.
- Due to slightly fewer materials being used, the price is lower in the iCrate series than the life stages.
Don’t let what seems like negatives above put you off! The iCrate is still a high quality crate that receives high praise from all.
It’s just more suited to less boisterous (and less destructive) dogs who like maximum visibility from the inside of their crate.
Notable features:
- Double door for flexibility in positioning in your home, and two methods for access from the front or the side.
- Stylish looking, durable, protective black electro-coating.
- Easily to clean and tough ABS plastic tray.
- Secure slide bolt catches, no sharp edges, built with safety and security in mind.
- Divider panel with the larger crates – a crate that grows with your puppy.
- Simple, tool free set-up and fold down in seconds.
Click to learn more / check pricing.
Proselect ‘Easy’ Wire Dog Crates
[amazon fields=”B003DVW88K” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_link=”none” image_class=”ais350″]
The ‘Easy’ line of dog crates from Proselect are a great value, great priced series of crates combining all the necessary features to make them a highly secure and safe crate to use with your dog or puppy.
Great feedback with over 200 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon from previous owners, this crate earns high praise indeed from the people who matter – people using the crates day to day with their pets.
Notable features:
- Slide out floor tray for easy and convenient cleaning. The wire crate itself has a black coating that’s simple to wipe clean with a cloth.
- Divider panel included as standard to resize the crate as for a puppy and increase space as they grow.
- Dual sliding bolts for securing the door – extra protection if your dog is a wannabe Houdini.
- Easy assembly with no tools needed, and folds extremely easily for storage or transportation.
Click to learn more / check pricing.
Precision Pet Two-Door Great Crate
[amazon fields=”B000633YKE” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_link=”none” image_class=”ais350″]
Another great value, high quality wire crate providing maximum ventilation and visibility from within.
Extremely good feedback and reviews from previous owners, testifying to the crates quality, durability and great value.
Notable features:
- Double door crate providing flexibility for placement against different walls and easy access to your dog inside.
- Removable, easy clean plastic tray for a base.
- Divider panel included for re-sizing the crate to suit your puppy until they grow.
- No tools needed for assembly
- Effortlessly folds and includes a carry handle for easy storage and portability.
- Rounded corners and no sharp edges to ensure the safety of both you and your pet.
- Stylish looking, black epoxy resin coating that is easily wiped clean and durable.
Click to learn more / check pricing.
Product image credits: © Amazon.com
Top Picks For Our Dogs
- BEST PUPPY TOY
We Like: Calmeroos Puppy Toy w/ Heartbeat and Heat Packs - Perfect for new puppies. Helps ease anxiety in their new home. - BEST DOG CHEW
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For a list of all the supplies we get for our new service dog puppies check out our New Puppy Checklist on the PuppyInTraining.com blog.