Dog Crates & Crate Pads

Sturdy, Durable Crates & Crate Pads for Dogs

Our dog crates and pads are designed specifically to make life easier for you and your pet, in light- and heavyweight styles made to use at home or for travel. We appreciate the impact a dog crate can make on the lifestyle you share with your pet. For some families, a dog travel crate is the only way a pet can travel in safety and comfort. And for most, a dog's crate serves as his sanctuary—a safe place for him to rest, recuperate, or just plain relax. Sportsmen and women and their hunting buddies rely on high-quality kennels as essentials among their other bird dog supplies. However the crate fits into life with your dog, options from Orvis rise to the occasion and deliver superior comfort. Explore our dog crates and absorbent or water-resistant crate pads, to find the best solutions for your dog at home and on the road.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dog Crates

Does My Dog Need a Crate?

Yes, most dogs benefit from a welcoming crate. Dogs are den animals who crave small, enclosed spaces instinctually. When you properly introduce your dog to his crate, he’ll grow to view it as an important refuge, his own safe, dedicated spot where he can retreat when he needs to. The crate can also serve as a useful training aid to help you raise a wiggly, chewing puppy into a well-mannered, housebroken adult dog—or to help train your new shelter dog with unknown habits. A properly trained dog will be happy to stay inside his crate for short stretches while you’re away but should be allowed to come and go on his own while you’re at home: When he opts for the sanctuary of his crate of his own accord, you’ll know you’ve achieved crate training success.

What Size Crate Should I Buy?

Buy a crate proportioned for your dog: Choose a size just large enough to allow him to stand, lie down comfortably, and change position as needed. But he shouldn’t be able to soil one end of the crate and then retreat to the other end to rest—close quarters will inhibit this impulse. If you’re adopting a puppy, choose a crate that will accommodate his adult proportions but with a movable interior partition you can adjust as he grows.

Should I Travel With a Crate?

Even if you secure your dog for travel using a backseat harness, bringing along a collapsible travel crate gives him a safe and reassuring place to sleep when you reach your destination. Our dog travel crates are designed specifically to make it easy for you and your pet to get around. We offer light- and heavyweight styles for different travel scenarios, from errand running to long-distance hauls into the backcountry. Thoughtful engineering makes our travel dog crates a cinch to set up and transport, offering a pop-up home-away-from-home for your dog wherever you go.

What to Put in Puppy’s Crate

Go ahead and satisfy your urge to shower your new family member with soft, cuddly toys and comfortable bedding. But above all, make sure he can’t shred them and ingest the tiny bits and pieces, potentially resulting in a trip to the veterinary ER to treat a life-threatening blockage in his gut. In lieu of blankets and towels, opt for a sturdy, chew-resistant dog bed, avoiding soft plush or fill until your new little friend has demonstrated he won’t destroy it.

Pro Tip: If you have the luxury of plucking your new puppy from his litter, bring along a toy on adoption day to rub on his littermates. When it’s time to crate him at night, place the toy inside the crate and let him snuggle up to the reassuring smells of his canine siblings.

Should I Leave Water in My Dog’s Crate?

You can leave water with an adult dog who spends three or four hours crated, if he’s healthy and housetrained. Opt for a stainless steel water bowl instead of a plastic one if he’s a destructive chewer. Extreme heat calls for a water bowl in his crate for any duration, and you should move the crate to a cool spot in the house. But a healthy adult dog doesn’t need water in his crate overnight, as long as he has access to plenty of water during the day.

A growing puppy needs access to plenty of fresh water, but leaving it in the crate with him isn’t advisable. While it may be safe, it’ll undermine the housetraining process and increase his urgency to pee. And if he upsets the water bowl, he’ll be uncomfortable in the space that should be his cozy, inviting den.

Should I Cover My Dog’s Crate?

Take cues from your dog. Not every dog appreciates the solitude of a covered crate, but anxious or excitable canines can benefit from the security of a darkened, enclosed space. A crate cover limits the visual stimuli that can excite a dog and induce barking, and the presence or absence of it can communicate it’s time to sleep or to play. A covered crate can alleviate stress for an anxious dog on a road trip, and it can continue to help him stay calm at an unfamiliar destination.

Opt for breathable, washable material to cover your dog’s crate. If your dog is a chewer, secure the cover so he can’t pull it inside and ingest pieces of it. Keep the material away from heat sources, and avoid knit blankets that may snag or unravel. You might also consider using an airline-style dog kennel for its chew-proof design.