A dog crate for your Goldendoodle is a smart way keep your furry family member safe, secure, and comfortable. But how do you choose the perfect crate? And once you do, what size is right? Help is here.
Over the past 10 years, our family has bought quite a few dog crates for our puppies. By sharing our experiences through this round up of the best dogs crates that we’ve found, we hope to help you narrow down your search.
How I chose the dog crates on this list
The dog crates for Goldendoodles in this review are ones that we have purchased and used for over a year. And some of the Goldendoodle dog crates have gotten literally years of use. (Yes, we’re a multi-Goldendoodle family!)
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In a hurry?
These dog kennels get a paws up from our Goldendoodle pack and five stars from our family…
Our top choices
Petmate Dog Crates
We’ve had one of our Petmate dog crates since our senior Goldendoodle was a puppy, which was 10 years ago! While there are many benefits to using crates, there are two times when we’ve really count on them for our puppers—during puppyhood and when we are traveling.
First, when we’re traveling, the Petmate dog crate fits in our vehicle assembled. Or we can break it down for easy packing.
Second, as you can see in the photo below, we placed a Snuggle Puppy in our Petmate puppy crate to help our 10-week-old Goldendoodle feel comfy on her first night home. The crate is portable, so we could move it from the living room to the bedroom if needed.
What we like—The pros
- The surface is easy to clean. If your dog has an accident in the crate, simply wipe it out to clean it.
- It is simple to break down for travel or for storage. Plus, the top and bottom pieces fit inside each other, which is a space saver.
- These crates are fairly lightweight and portable.
- We’ve found them to be durable. As I mentioned above, we’ve had one for years.
- Great for small dogs.
What we don’t like—The cons
- The screws and bolts used to secure the top and bottom sections may be easy to lose. We’ve learned to store the bolts and screws in a small bag so we don’t lose them.
- Pricey
- If you compare them to the more furniture-like crates that are popular, these are not particularly attractive
Midwest Homes Dog Crates
What tipped the scale in favor of the Midwest Homes dog crate for our family? The particular style that we purchased has a special locking system for extra security. It was a feature that gave us peace of mind. Additionally, the locking system slides in and out easily.
What we like—The pros
- Easy to clean. The removable plastic tray slides out so you don’t have to reach into the kennel to clean it.
- Great value.
- Multiple doors if needed.
- If you need to replace the plastic tray, it can be purchased separately.
- Easy/fast to breakdown and set up.
- Easy storage when broken down.
- Great ventilation.
- Durable.
- Two slide bolt latches.
- Available in different sizes. Great for mini Goldendoodles all the way up to standard Goldendoodles.
- You can get models with a double door.
- Easy assembly.
What we don’t like—The cons
- Heavy.
- Not as easy to move from room to room, if assembled.
- Very open—If your dog prefers a “den like” crate, you may need a crate cover.
- May slide around on hardwood or tile floors.
- When you compare to the decorative furniture-style crates, it isn’t as attractive.
Why we did not choose soft-sided crates or furniture-style dog crates
Wooden furniture crates: While a wooden crate is visually appealing, we needed a crate that would work for bringing home a new Goldendoodle puppy and throughout puppyhood.
There was no way that we would take a chance that our puppy might chew the the wood. If you have read our articles, you know our motto is safety first and happiness will follow. This includes choosing a style of crate that is appropriate for a chewy, curious puppy. Additionally, wooden furniture crates aren’t as easy to clean should a puppy have an accident in the crate.
Fabric crates: For adult dogs who don’t chew and are crate trained, fabric collapsible crates may have their place. However, for chewy puppies, our family felt that it was best to avoid fabric or canvas crates.
Things to consider when choosing a Goldendoodle crate
Determining what size crate is right for your dog can cause a swirl of indecision. For puppies, crates need to have enough space that they can stand up completely, lay down, and comfortably sprawl out. (See photo below.) Don’t get a crate that’s too big—it’s not an exercise pen.
As a rule of thumb, the crate should have enough room for dogs to stand up without touching the top of the crate. Also, they should be able to turn around and should have plenty of room to lay down and stretch out.
Will you be traveling with you Goldendoodle?
Easy to fold down, light weight, and “pack-ability” are keys to choosing a dog crate for your road trips. Both the Petmate and Midwest Homes crates break down easily.
The high quality wire Midwest Homes crate just takes a few steps to collapse down. By releasing the clips on both ends at the top of the crate, both ends will lower down and then the crate will scissor down flat for easy packing and storage. The crate will still be 36 or 48 inches long depending on what size your have. But the profile or height will only be 3-4 inches (as you can see in the picture below) when folded.
These crates can be a bit heavy, but the durability makes up for their weight. If you have a large dog, you need a heavy crate anyway.
The plastic Petmate crates can take a bit more time to breakdown. There are connectors (seen in the picture below) around the middle of the crate that will need to be removed. These can be removed with your fingers and don’t require any tools. Once the connectors are unscrewed, the crate breaks down into three pieces—the top, bottom, and door.
The nice thing about the Petmate crates are that they come in various sizes and are light weight. We have found breakdown isn’t always necessary. The crate may slip right into the backseat of your car or in the hatchback if you have an SUV, so dogs can travel in the crate.
What type of crate is the best option for a Goldendoodle puppy?
As new dog owners, your little Goldendoodle puppy is a precious new part of your family. So when choosing a crate we suggest considering the following features:
- Enclosed
- Portable
- Ease of cleaning
- Durabilty
We have found the Petmate crate meets all these standards:
- Crate is enclosed, but offers sufficient ventilation.
- Crate breaks down easily for storage and is portable for travel.
- The plastic dog crate construction allows for easy cleaning and won’t absorb odors.
- Built to last.
Why do you need a dog crate?
As much as we Goldendoodle enthusiasts would like to say “we can’t, we have plans with our dog,” there are occasions when we just can’t have our besties by our sides.
For your dog’s safety, he or she will need a puppy-proofed space for the times when you’re headed to work or have to run errands.
Puppies are curious and like to chew on things as a way to explore the world, especially Goldendoodles. If curious little puppies are left out while no one is home, they find things to occupy their time—like shoes, and rugs, and couch legs. A crate is a safe space.
When should you start crate training your Goldendoodle puppy?
Just like potty training your Goldendoodle, it will be in your puppy’s best interest to help them love their crate. Start crate training as early as possible and always make it positive.
We started crate training the day our pups got home. Our first goal was using the crate at night. By placing the crate by our bed we found they stayed calm. We even placed a table beside our bed to put the crate on, so it was at our bed’s height.
If our puppy started to fuss or whine, we would speak positively and try to soothe her with gentle words and sweet talk. Also, we put our fingers through the crate door to let her know she was ok, and we were there for her.
During the day, we left the crate out where it was visible to our puppy in a room where we spend a lot of time. We left the door open so she could investigate it, and go in and out at her choosing.
We used lots of treats to make entering and exiting the crate a fun game. Little by little, as she was comfortable, we added in shutting the door—first just holding the door, then moving the door, then almost closing it. (Always keeping it pawsitive, pawsitive, pawsitive, of course!)
Once she mastered this, we closed the crate door for just a second, opened it, and rewarded her.
Over time, we increased the length of time the door was closed by tiny increments. And we stayed close to the crate so she knew we were there.
Eventually, we then stepped away—increasing the distance each time and giving rewards until we could leave the room. Step by step, she was crate trained!
Additionally, we used mealtime to make a positive association between her and the crate by feeding her in it with the door open.
Last but not least, NEVER force a puppy into the crate or use the crate for punishment. This will teach him or her that it’s not a happy, cozy space. Crate training should always be a positive experience.
Thanks for stopping by HappyGoDoodle.com, our cozy place for Goldendoodle enthusiasts. We hope that by sharing our experiences buying and using dog crates, we’ve helped make your buying decision a little easier. Most of all, we hope that you and your Goldendoodle enjoy a lifetime of happy moments together.