When crate training a puppy, choosing the best crate is key to success, that’s why we’ve made this dedicated review of the best crate for french bulldog to help you make the perfect choice which is going to skyrocket your chances of crate training your Frenchie to perfection.
In this review, we are going to see the best crates for french bulldog puppies, adults, travel crates, the perfect size, and even dogs with separation anxiety.
So without any more introductions let us dive into this review starting by size.
In a hurry?! This is the best crate for french bulldog that we personally use and recommend with the perfect size: the Midwest double door wire crate(click here to check the current price on Amazon) if you stick around we’ll explain why we like this one and how it helps you get faster results.
Best crate size for french bulldog
When it comes to crate training size matters, so what makes the perfect size crate for crate training?
- The crate has to be larger than the dog so he can be comfortable enough inside it.
- It should not be too big for the dog or else he will sleep in one corner and turn the other corner into a potty corner, so it has to be only a few inches larger.
- The dog has to be able to stand up, lay down and turn around in the crate without touching the borders.
Crate training is all about making the crate a safe and comfortable den for your dog. I suggest you read this article about crate training a french bulldog for more details on the process.
Having the perfect sized crate makes crate training easier, while a crate that is too small or too big would make it extremely hard to get any results; which is normal since no dog would like a place where he can’t even lay down comfortably.
French bulldogs are around 11-13 inches in height and weight just under 28 pounds, so they are considered a small breed dog.
The perfect crate size for french bulldog is 30 length x 19 width x 21 height inches. Of course, this size is compatible with a standard size french bulldog, and you can measure your dog if it’s not a standard-sized one, but in most cases, these are the measurements for most Frenchies.
The proportions I suggested are those of a wire crate, and it could be a bit different depending on the type of crate you choose. Anyway if it’s a matter of a couple of inches it’s perfectly fine.
Best crate for french bulldog
Choosing the perfect size crate is important as we’ve just explained, but the crate type is as equally important and may speed up the training or make it slower. That’s why we’ve based our recommendations on how the crate affects crate training and safety which are the most important factors.
Before we break down our top 3 best crates for french bulldog puppies here is a comparative table for the most commonly used crates.
Crates by type | Plastic crate | Soft-side crate | Furniture crate | Wire crate |
Utility to crate training | OK | Bad | Not good | Perfect |
Price Range | 60$ – 80$ | 60$ – 80$ | 80$ + | 30$ – 40$ |
Mobility | Good | Good | Bad | Good |
Travel | Perfect | OK | N/A | Good |
Safety | Good | OK | Good | Good |
Sturdiness | OK | N/A | Good | Good |
Design | Good | Good | Perfect | OK |
Maintenance | Easy | Hard | Easy | Very easy |
Best wire crate for french bulldog our TOP pick
French bulldogs are considered a small dog breed, meaning you don’t need extra precautions getting a crate.
In most cases, a wire crate is perfect for a french bulldog.
The one we recommend is the MidWest double door foldable wire crate(click here to check the current price on Amazon).
What we like about it
- This wire crate offers an open view of the room from the inside of the crate allowing the dog to be part of the activity around him which could comfort him and help him feel safer and relax.
- Exploring the crate is a very important step in crate training; this crate makes it easier with its two doors feature which is a great help especially at the early stages of crate training.
- The wire crate is completely foldable and easy to move around the house which is great if you need to move it to your room at night to keep an eye on your puppy at night or for travel by car.
- It comes with a divider that will help you adjust the size of the crate as the puppy grows, this way you don’t have to change crates every couple of months and you get the perfect results crate training from the puppy stage to adulthood.
- Easy to clean, since it comes with a removable easy to clean tray that you can clean in a minute, which is very helpful especially when crate training a young puppy.
- The wire crate is safe and very sturdy, it provides a safe controllable environment for most french bulldogs and also available ina more robust version if you have an aggressive dog.
- It can be attached to a playpen if you want to use one in case of leaving the dog alone for too long or if you just want to give your dog more space to play.
- It has a crate cover that fits it and you can even use it with some foam to soundproof it if you live in an apartment.
- This is the cheapest crate for french bulldogs and you don’t have to change it making it a great deal. You can get the crate the bed and the cover, all for less than 80 dollars.
What we don’t like about it
There isn’t much, to be honest, the wire crate is robust, practical, easy to clean, easy to move around and cheap.
The only negative thing I could say about the wire crate is that the design isn’t the best if you’re not a big fan of a cage in your living room or kitchen, but that doesn’t mean it’s hideous it looks fine and you can get a cover and they come in different color options if you want to add your touch to it.
The one we recommend and why
For a french bulldog, the best wire crate is the Midwest foldable double door crate with a divider.
This wire crate is by far the best not only for french bulldog but for crate training in general.
It helps a lot with the introduction and exploring the crate making it easy to lure the dog inside it.
It comes with great features like the divider panel and the double doors.
Here is a helpful video from the manufacturer showing you how to install the divider panel to adjust the crate size.
Best plastic crate for french bulldog
Plastic crates are very popular especially for small breed dogs, and they do a great job, and in most cases, they are great for travel since they meet online requirements for pet travel.
However, when it comes to crate training we find ourselves leaning toward the wire crate, not that a plastic crate doesn’t work but simply because the wire crate makes the first couple of steps easier.
If you decide to go with a plastic crate we recommend Petmate Vari Kennel(click here to check the current price on Amazon).
What we like about it
- This crate has 360-degree ventilation openings, unlike most plastic crates the dog can get fresh air and a better degree of visibility.
- It is easy to assemble and therefore easy to clean in case of potty incidents.
- It can be moved around easily if you need to relocate it for the night to have the dog closer to your bed.
- This crate is sturdy enough for a regular French bulldog and will last long enough.
- With only a few tweaks(metal bolts)it can meet most airline requirements for air travel.
- It works great for car travel in fact it does a better job than most crates.
- It provides a den-like environment that allows you to reduce outside distractions at night and help your dog sleep well through the night.
What we don’t like about it
It is really hard to find a good plastic crate, and none are perfect, and this one although it’s great but not perfect.
- It does not work well for an aggressive dog and he will probably chew through it.
- The size charts for plastic crates are almost all the time wrong you always have to take one size larger and this one is no exception.
- You have to buy metal bolts to make it extra secured and for travel requirements.
- In general, the price/value chart is not the best for plastic crates which doesn’t make them the best investment especially if you have to change it after a while.
- The size can’t be adjusted so at the early stages your puppy will have too much room, which could make potty training harder.
The one we recommend and why
For a french bulldog, the best plastic crate is the Petmate Vari Kennel.
This plastic crate is the best for french bulldog especially if you take your dog for road trips.
Unlike most plastic crates it is sturdy enough for a regular french bulldog.
It has 360-degree ventilation openings for better visibility and ventilation.
Best wooden crate for french bulldog
If you are convinced that crate training your french bulldog is important but your house interior decor is equally important, then a wooden crate is the best choice for you.
Wooden crates are not the go-to option for crate training but they’ll blend in with your decor perfectly.
The one we recommend is the Casual Home Wooden Pet Crate(click here to check the current price on Amazon).
What we like about it
- This wooden crate looks great, with it’s simple and elegant design it fits all house decor.
- It is sturdy and made out of solid wood making it a great option even for overly excited Frenchies.
- It comes in many color designs winch is great for home decor maniacs.
- Surprisingly easy to clean, unlike most decorative dog crates.
- It has a 360 open view which is great for your puppy to have visibility and to keep an eye on you while relaxing in his crate.
- The price is clearly cheap for a wooden good looking end table crate.
What we don’t like about it
- The size is not adjustable so when the puppy is younger it will be harder to potty train.
- Not the easiest to assemble and you need some basic tools to do it.
- Not easy to move around, so if you ant your dog to sleep in your room at night it will be hard to move it around the house.
The one we recommend and why
The best wooden crate for french bulldog is the Casual Home Wooden Pet Crate.
This decorative wooden crate looks great and is available in different colors.
It is sturdy enough for a french bulldog and looks great in your living room or kitchen.
It’s cheaper than some plastic crates and not very hard to assemble.
Best travel crate for french bulldog
Bulldogs are cute and happy dogs, and they’re fun companions which makes them great travel buddies.
Taking a french bulldog on a road trip or on vacation is certainly exciting but you have to think about safety first.
Making sure your partner is safe and comfortable during travel is a priority and what a better way to do it than to choose the best travel crate for your french bulldog.
I decided to dissect this part into two sections of car travel and plane travel because each one is different and has special requirements.
Best car travel crate for french bulldog
When we talk about car travel the risk is high, so safety is the priority. Your dog must be secured in the back of the car away from the driver.
You need a crate the will make sure your dog is comfortable during travel but also confined so he doesn’t affect the driver’s attention.
So to make our choice we have only two options; wire crates and plastic ones.
The wooden crates are too heavy to move around and unpractical to load on a car and soft-side crates are too easy to get out of making them dangerous.
Car travel often means your dog will most likely be in the back of the car next to your luggage so you need a strong crate that will keep the dog safe at all times and in case of an accident.
Although plastic crates are good for travel we find that the wire crate is much stronger and safer for car travel.
That’s why we recommend the Ultima Pro Midwest metal dog crate(click here to check the current price on Amazon).
This crate is the stronger version of the wire crate we suggested earlier, for more safety and the double door makes it even safer in case of an accident you can easily get the dog out in case the main door is jammed or damaged.
Best airline travel crate for a french bulldog
airline travel has some very strict requirements when it comes to pet travel carriers.
You want to check the IATA pet travel guide for more information.
Not all airlines have the same pet travel rules, so you want to check with your airline before you head to the airport.
We found that the Petmate Vari Kennel(click to check the current price on Amazon) is the most compliant with IATA guidelines. But you’ll probably need to change the plastic bolts with some metal ones to make it extra safe and approved.
Best playpen for french bulldog
Some of you may have to work a full-time job while crate training a french bulldog puppy.
Knowing that puppies can’t stay for eight hours alone in the crate you might want to consider a playpen to provide your dog more space to walk around and play.
However, making a choice between a crate and a playpen could be hard and you can read our article about crate vs playpen and which one is best.
But why make a choice between a crate and a playpen if you can have both?! There is a playpen and crate combined solution that will make sure your dog still spends time in his crate and at the same time has a playpen to walk around and play.
We recommend the Midwest metal exercise playpen(click here to check the current price on Amazon).
This playpen is large enough for a french bulldog, it’s easy to assemble and foldable so it doesn’t take much storage space and the best option is it connects to the Midwest metal crate we recommended earlier making a crate and playpen combined.