# How big car crate do I need?



## Factor (Oct 9, 2015)

I wonder how big car crates you have for your gsd? 

I recently bought a new car and want a crate for my female, about 23'', 30 kg, gsd. I have an Audi A4 Avant (B7), which isnt that big but should be big enough.

I have been looking at the Alpuna crates (Alpuna-Autotypen-Referenzseite) and alternatives for my car are: 

*N45:*









depth 96 cm = 37.7''
height 65 cm = 25.6''
width 57 cm = 22.4''


*N41:*








depth 96 cm = 37.7''
height 65 cm = 25.6''
width 65 cm = 25.6''


*N42:*








depth 96 cm = 37.7''
height 65 cm = 25.6''
width 93 cm = 36.6''


(other alternatives for my car were N40 and N43, but N40 is too small I guess and N43 is a double crate, but still same size as N42)

I want the dog to be comfortable in the car while being there. I take her with me pretty often. Of course it would also be nice if I get a small amount of space in the trunk except from the crate, but the first priority is the dog. Haven't though measured the dog in car yet, gonna do it tomorrow when daylight.

What measure is enough and what is the size of your crates? Do I need the biggest one (N42)?

(sry, couldnt get the pics to shrink anymore than that)


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## Factor (Oct 9, 2015)

No one with a car crate that can tell me what size your crate is? =/


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## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

Ok, we don't have a car crate, so I can't give you an exact estimate, but I would think by the sizes you gave your dog and by the size of the crates, that the N41 would be plenty big. Another woman on this forum told me that she had a 36 inch crate in her car, for her massive 90 lb GSD and that he liked having the smaller confined space, it helped keep him more secure. So I think the N42 would probably be a bit larger then needed. I feel like the N45 may not be wide enough for your dog to turn around comfortably, but that is just my 2 cents!


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I think part of the decision is how much time your dog spends in the crate....For my training, I may drive 2 hours and the dog may be crated the better part of the day.....so I want something a little roomier but for most dogs a tighter crate is a better safety option.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I have a large vari-kennel in my car right now but I need a bigger car or a mini-van to have two kennels for my girls. I am in the process of looking for a van with front and rear air conditioning as we are Florida.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I had a 36 inch crate that I used in my car. It's too small for my dog, so now I have to go with the seat belt instead because a bigger crate won't fit in my car. Maybe my next car *sigh*.


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## E.Hatch (Sep 24, 2013)

My GSD is 86lbs and I have a regular 36" wire crate in the trunk area of my SUV. It's by no means spacious for him but he's only in there a few hours during training so it works out fine.


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## Amshru (Aug 7, 2015)

I had the same problem when I started to look for a car crate for my puppy. She's probably not going to be very large, but the biggest crate I could fit in the back of my 4x4 was Crash Tested Car Crates. She seems to be very happy in it, with only 31 depth, but I do worry that she suddenly outgrows it. (She's 6 months in the pic). Her home crate is a lot larger (W107.5 x D74.5 x H80.5cm), but she loves going in the car crate.


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## Factor (Oct 9, 2015)

Galathiel said:


> I had a 36 inch crate that I used in my car. It's too small for my dog, so now I have to go with the seat belt instead because a bigger crate won't fit in my car. Maybe my next car *sigh*.


Thanks for replying. Is your gsd a male or female? How big?


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## Factor (Oct 9, 2015)

Thanks for your replies, helps me figure it out. What it seems like the N41 should be fine to my female, 66 lbs btw (obviously forgot to convert it to lbs), some of you have a larger dog in pretty much same crate size. Going to think some more before ordering, because it will be pretty difficult to send it back if its not what we needed. The dog will be there sometime when I do errands (an hour or so), on trainings (about 2-3 hours with some trainingsessions when out of crate) and perhaps when going to competitions/trips, maximum time of 4-5 hours(?).


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## Saito (Dec 3, 2015)

It might be a long shot, but perhaps try looking for used ones in your area...then you could actually go to an assembled one to see if that particular model fits right.

Also, try contacting their customer service. They might be able to help with your decision if you give full measurements of your dog.


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