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Best Travel Crates for German Shepherds: 7 Picks and a Size Guide
A German Shepherd travel crate has to fit a dog that the AKC lists at 24 to 26 inches tall and 65 to 90 pounds for males, and 22 to 24 inches and 50 to 70 pounds for females. The seven crates below come in three kinds: soft folding crates, hard plastic kennels with airline notes on their listings, and one folding wire crate.
Every size, weight, and feature below comes from the Amazon listing for that crate. Airline rules come from IATA and Alaska Air Cargo, and crash test information comes from the Center for Pet Safety. The sections after the picks cover crate size, flying, and car travel.
Seven Travel Crates Compared
| Crate | Type and size on the listing | What the listing says about dog size |
|---|---|---|
| Feandrea 36 inch | Soft, 36 x 25 x 25 | Pets between 50 and 70 lb |
| Feandrea 42 inch | Soft, 42 x 28 x 28 | Pets up to 100 lb |
| Lesure 42 inch | Soft, 42 x 28 x 30 | XL size, up to 90 lb |
| Amazon Basics XL | Soft, 42 x 31 x 31 | No dog weight on the listing |
| Petmate Vari Kennel 40 inch | Plastic, 40 x 27 x 30 outside, 36.2 x 24.7 x 28.8 inside | Dogs weighing 70 to 90 lb |
| SportPet XX-Large | Plastic, 39 x 27 x 30 outside, 36 x 23.5 x 28 inside | Dogs up to 36 inches long and 27 inches tall; names the German Shepherd |
| MidWest 48 inch iCrate | Wire, 48.5 x 30.25 x 32 | Dogs from 90 to 110 lb; names the German Shepherd |
Best Travel Crates for German Shepherds
Feandrea Dog Carrier
This is the 36 inch Feandrea soft crate, 36 x 25 x 25 inches, and its listing calls it ideal for pets between 50 and 70 pounds. The AKC lists females at 50 to 70 pounds and males at 65 to 90, so a male above 70 pounds is outside what the listing describes.
The frame is steel and the fabric is Oxford cloth that the listing calls scratch and tear resistant. It has three doors and self-locking zippers, a removable fleece pad, and two pockets. The listing says it goes up in 30 seconds without tools.
Feandrea 42 Inch Collapsible Dog Crate
The 42 inch Feandrea measures 42 x 28 x 28 inches, and its listing says it is ideal for pets up to 100 pounds. That covers the top of the AKC male range. It has four mesh doors, self-locking zippers, reflective strips, and two side handles.
A Sherpa fleece pad sits inside and comes out for cleaning, though the listing says the inner padding is not washable. A pocket and a water bottle holder are built in.
Lesure Collapsible Crate
Lesure sells this crate in four sizes: small up to 35 pounds, medium up to 50, large up to 70, and XL up to 90. The XL is the 42 inch size, listed at 42 x 28 x 30 inches, and its 90 pound limit equals the top of the AKC male range.
The listing describes an iron frame, reflective strips, a self-locking zipper system, and an integrated leash. The mesh walls zip open on four sides. The mat is machine washable, the fabric wipes clean with a damp cloth, and the crate folds two ways into a storage bag.
Amazon Basics XL Travel Crate
The Amazon Basics crate is tan polyester over a steel frame, 42 x 31 x 31 inches. It has two doors, one on top and one on the front, and the zipper closures come with fastening straps that hold a rolled-up door out of the way.
The listing gives no dog weight, so measure your dog against the interior using the size section below. It sets up without tools and folds flat.
Vari Kennel by Petmate
The Vari Kennel is a plastic shell with a wire door. The listing says it is designed for dogs weighing 70 to 90 pounds, with an interior of 36.2 x 24.7 x 28.8 inches, and that it meets most airline cargo specifications. It also says the tamper-proof holes for zip ties are a requirement for air travel.
Ventilation is on four sides, and a stay-dry moat directs fluids away from the dog. Its outside size, 40 x 27 x 30 inches, matches the size 500 row of the Alaska Air Cargo kennel chart in the flying section.
SportPet Rolling Travel Crate
The SportPet XX-Large is the one listing here that names the breed: it says the interior, 36 x 23.5 x 28 inches, is ideal for XXL breeds "like a German Shepherd" and that it is designed for pets up to 36 inches long and 27 inches tall. Outside it measures 39 x 27 x 30 inches, and the listing gives its weight as 26.25 pounds.
The listing says it is designed to comply with the 51st Edition of the IATA Live Animal Regulations, and that airline acceptance requirements vary, so the reader should confirm the airline's current kennel rules before booking. It comes with removable wheels, two top carry handles, two food and water dishes, four "Live Animal" labels, and metal bolts and nuts.
MidWest Double Door iCrate
The 48 inch iCrate is a metal wire crate that measures 48.5 x 30.25 x 32 inches. Its listing says it suits dogs of 90 to 110 pounds, names German Shepherds, and suggests the 54 inch model for dogs near 110 pounds.
It has slide-bolt latches with a Paw Block, a leak-proof tray, rubber feet, a carry handle, and a divider panel. The listing says it is tool-free to assemble and mentions "rigorous safety testing" without naming a test, so this page does not call it crash tested. The crash testing section covers what the Center for Pet Safety found with a wire kennel.
Crate Size for a German Shepherd
The AKC lists male German Shepherds at 24 to 26 inches and 65 to 90 pounds, and females at 22 to 24 inches and 50 to 70 pounds. The listings above state size in different ways. Feandrea, Lesure, Vari, and MidWest give a dog weight, SportPet gives a dog length and height, and Amazon Basics gives neither.
IATA, the air transport trade association, gives a formula for the minimum inside size of a container for one dog. Measure A from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, B from the ground to the elbow joint, C across the shoulders or the widest point, and D from the top of the head or the ear tip to the floor, whichever is higher. The container length is A plus half of B, the width is C times 2, and the height is D plus the thickness of the bedding.
IATA says airlines want the dog to be able to turn about normally while standing, to stand and sit erect, and to lie in a natural position. Alaska Air Cargo adds that the dog must be able to stand without its head or the tips of its ears touching the top of the kennel. IATA's formula gives inside dimensions, so compare it with the inside size where a listing gives one. The Vari and SportPet listings do.
For a crate that stays in the house, see our dog crate guide. For a pad that goes inside, see our guide to dog bedding for German Shepherds.
Flying With a German Shepherd
IATA says only small dogs and cats can go in the cabin. A German Shepherd shipped by air goes in a kennel, and airlines set their own kennel rules. Alaska Air Cargo publishes its rules on its Pet Connect page and requires a Pet Connect reservation for every live animal shipment.
Alaska's kennel size chart lists size 500 at 40 x 27 x 30 inches with an empty weight of 28 pounds, and says to contact its Cargo Call Center for kennels larger than the 500 series. The combined weight of the animal and the kennel must not exceed 150 pounds. A 90 pound male in the 26.25 pound SportPet would total 116.25 pounds.
The same page lists kennels it will not accept. These include a kennel that is collapsible in any way, one made with a wire roof or a top-opening door, and one with wheels, and it says all wheels must be removed before acceptance. A kennel held together with snap closures, zip ties, duct tape, or rubber bands is also refused. The kennel should be held together with metal or plastic nuts and bolts, have a food and water dish clipped inside the door, and carry the words "Live Animal" in letters at least one inch high.
Of the seven crates here, the Vari and SportPet are the two whose listings mention airlines. The SportPet title calls it collapsible, its wheels come off, and the listing says airline requirements vary and should be confirmed with the airline. Alaska refuses a kennel that is collapsible in any way. The four soft crates fold into a bag or flat, and the iCrate is a folding wire crate, so check the airline's list before buying any of them for a flight.
Crash Testing and Car Travel
The AKC says the best way to keep a dog safe in a moving vehicle is to use a harness, carrier, or crate. The Center for Pet Safety (CPS) is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, and its certified products page lists kennels from Gunner and Lucky Duck, among other products.
CPS tested crates in 2015. In the test of a MidWest wire kennel with a 110 pound crash test dog, CPS wrote that "even with strength rated support systems, wire crates should be considered as distraction prevention tools and will not provide significant protection in the case of an accident." CPS names the product "Midwest Wire Kennel" and not a model, so that result is not a result for the iCrate by name. CPS also says a crate is typically anchored in the cargo area of an SUV or station wagon.
None of the seven listings names a CPS certification or a crash test result, so this page does not call any of these crates crash tested. If crash test results matter to you, ask the maker for its published test result.
Heat is the other car risk. The AKC says the inside of a vehicle parked in 70 degree weather can reach 100 degrees in 20 minutes, and that a dog should never be left alone in a parked car even with the windows cracked.
Ventilation and Cleaning
Pet Life, a pet store, says in a post about dog crates to make sure a crate has plenty of ventilation, either through holes or through mesh. Use that as the first test of a good crate for a trip. For time outdoors, see our guide to a dog house for German Shepherds.
A post from Gingr, a software company for boarding kennels, covers kennel hygiene and lists routine cleaning as daily removal of waste, refreshing water and food bowls, and cleaning bedding. It is written for boarding kennels and not for travel crates. The Lesure and Feandrea listings describe a removable mat or pad, the MidWest has a leak-proof tray, and the Vari has a moat that keeps fluids away from the dog, so each has a part that comes out or wipes clean.
Sources
- American Kennel Club, German Shepherd Dog breed page
- IATA, Traveler's Pet Corner
- Alaska Air Cargo, Pet Connect kennels and containers
- Alaska Air Cargo, How to transport your pet
- Center for Pet Safety, 2015 crate study results (Wayback Machine copy)
- Center for Pet Safety, crate and carrier FAQs (Wayback Machine copy)
- Center for Pet Safety, CPS Certified products (Wayback Machine copy)
- American Kennel Club, Can I leave my dog in the car if I crack a window?
- Product details come from the Amazon listing for each crate, linked above. Pet Life and Gingr are linked where the text uses them.
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