Wooden dog crates

Wooden dog crates built as furniture

A crate is a piece of dog furniture that stands in a quiet corner of the house. Used properly it lets your dog settle and regulate its own emotions — it becomes a safe retreat, and time spent in it is neither stressful nor unkind. We are the manufacturer, so the brief covered both halves of the problem: what the dog needs, and what the room can live with.

Why do behaviourists, trainers and vets recommend one?

Because a crate answers several problems that have no other good solution.

• Behavioural work. Regular crate training helps with separation anxiety, destructive chewing and house training.
• Sport and competition. Between rounds a dog rests properly in surroundings it already knows, which is how you avoid the cumulative exhaustion of a long day at a show.
• Recovery. When movement has to be restricted after injury or a procedure, a crate does it without confusion or conflict.
• Bitches with puppies get a defined, defensible space.
• Visitors, children and other animals. A dog that has had enough cannot say so. A crate says it for them.

Contrary to the common assumption, a crate need not read as punishment. Filled with familiar bedding and a favourite toy, it is where a dog goes by choice.

Open or enclosed — which construction?

This is the first decision, and it is about your dog’s temperament rather than your room.

Enclosed crates are closed on three sides and give the strongest sense of shelter. They suit dogs that like to hide and choose to rest away from the traffic. HARRIER, CANNON and FAIRY sit here, all three with drawers for leads, towels and toys.

Open crates have timber elements and shelves, but the side walls are largely steel bars. They suit dogs that want to watch everything going on and never look for seclusion. HARBOR, KEEPER, SHALTER and GUARD pair a steel frame with an oak top.

What is in the range?

• Crates for large dogs, up to size XXL — GUARD.
• An oak top with open shelves — SHALTER.
• Loft crates with a closed cupboard — HARBOR and KEEPER.
• Crates with drawers — HARRIER and CANNON.
• A chest with a fluted front — GROOV.
• A crate with a cupboard in the Hampton idiom — ICON.
• Sliding doors, for rooms where a swinging door has nowhere to go — FAIRY and GROOV.

What size should it be?

Neither too large nor too small. Too large overwhelms; too small is rejected for lack of comfort. Standing inside, your dog should not stoop; it should turn around completely and lie fully stretched on one side without touching the walls. Between two sizes, take the larger.

Our models run from L to XXL, covering everything from a spaniel to a giant breed. Dog crates for large dogs works through the measurements at the bigger end.

How are they built?

Proven timber species, principally oak, with strong steel bars, hinges and bolts, finished with dog-safe certified paints, lacquers or natural oil-wax.

Safety is the detail we hold hardest: every piece is fitted precisely, with no sharp edges and no protruding elements a dog could injure itself on. Every drawer and every door has soft close. The crate door closes on a substantial bolt, and some models use a sliding system instead — worth knowing if the room is tight.

Cleaning is a damp cloth. No impregnation, no annual treatment.

Accessories

• An internal water bowl mounted at the right height, so water is available while you are out.
• An orthopaedic mattress cut to the crate’s dimensions.
• A metal floor, which lifts out and makes cleaning quick.

Buying from the maker

Every model here is designed and built in our own joinery in Wroclaw, and the photographs on each product page were taken there. Each design was tested repeatedly by the team’s own dogs before going into production. Ordering here means ordering directly from the manufacturer, which is also why we can adapt any piece to your requirements.

Finishes are on our available colours page. For a crate in a non-standard size or shape, write to my@dogdeco.com.

Most crates have a matching feeding station and bed in the same timber: see wooden dog bowl stands, wooden dog beds and wooden dog food storage.