When it comes to living with a puppy or even an older dog, crate training can provide you and your furry friend with numerous benefits but can a dog crate be too big?
If you’ve asked yourself can a dog crate be too big for your furry friend, then be sure to read on as we dive deep into answering and uncovering what you need to know when getting the right crate for your dog!
Can A Dog Crate Be Too Big? The Simple Answer
Yes! a dog crate can be too big for a given dog because it allows your dog or puppy to go “potty” in one corner of the crate and sleep in another. Doing this defeats the purpose of using the crate to prevent your dog from having “potty accidents” inside.
Why Dog Crate Size Matters
As you may already know, crate training has numerous benefits, from potty training, teaching your dog how to be comfortable alone, and even training your pup on what to chew on.
To fully utilize the benefits of crate training, you must first have the right size crate for your specific dog!
You don’t want a crate that is too big nor a crate that is too small.
Issues With A Dog Crate That Is Too Big
With a dog crate that is too big, you’ll likely run into some issues such as your dog going “potty” in the crate, your dog getting overly excited, and potential destructiveness.
Potty training Issues:
If you’re using the crate with a puppy or new dog you brought home, you will likely focus on “potty” training.
The issue with “potty” training a dog in a crate that is too big is that your pup will learn to go “potty” in one corner of the crate and sleep in another!
Excitement Issues:
When you get a crate, you want to begin teaching your dog that the crate means being calm, but if the crate is too big, you’ll likely get a dog that won’t understand that concept because of the amount of room your dog has to run and play inside the crate.
Getting The Correct Size Crate For Your Dog
Now that you understand the answer, can a dog crate be too big? (yes, it can!), let’s go over what the correct size crate for a dog should be!
An appropriate size crate for a given dog is one where your dog can walk inside the crate without hunching over and be able to turn around and lie down.
Essentially the crate is just big enough to allow your dog to sleep comfortably without being pressed on the crate.
Signs Your Dog Crate is Too Big
- Your dog or puppy can run inside the crate
- Your dog can potty in one corner and sleep in another
- More than one dog can fit in the crate (you only want one dog in a crate, ever)
- Your dog can jump inside the crate.
Signs Your Crate Is Too Small
- Your dog hunches over to get in the crate
- Your dog can sit or stand on all fours in the crate
- Your dog touches the crate wall while standing
- Your dog cant lay down
Signs you have the right size crate
- Your dog can comfortably walk in and out of the crate.
- Your dog can stand up without hunching over (if your dog is hunching over, your crate is too small)
- Your dog can stand up and turn around without any issues
- The crate can only fit your dog
Choosing a crate for a growing puppy
When fully answering can a dog crate be too big? we must understand that the concept is the same as we outlined above when getting a crate for a puppy. The main difference is that you’ll have to get a bigger crate as your puppy grows, or you can get a crate divider to make the crate bigger as your pup grows!
An easy solution is knowing your puppy’s breed. For instance, if you know that your puppy is a giant breed like a Great Dane, get an XL crate with dividers instead of buying a new crate every other week.
Conclusion:
IF your asking your self can a dog crate be too big? The answer is yes, a dog crate can be too big and defeat the purpose of using the crate, following this short guide will show you how to pick the appropriate crate size for your specific dog!
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