The 3 Best Dog Crates for the Akita Inu – Recommendations, Reviews & Tips

Bringing home the majestic Japanese dog breed, that is the Akita Inu, is an exciting moment. There’s a lot to be excited about, but a lot of preparation is needed.

One thing you’ll need for your Akita is a dog crate. It’s one of the most important (and expensive) one-time purchases you’ll ever have to make for your new Japanese pup. Fortunately, we’ve tested and researched the 4 best dog crates for an Akita Inu. 

Why Crate Train Your Akita

As a dog owner who has used crates with all my dogs, it’s something I highly recommend. In fact, there are a ton of great benefits of crate training your Akita Inu. 

For starters, dog crates are fantastic for housebreaking your Akita. Unless you want your pup doing their “business” all around the house, housebreaking your pup is crucial.

Dogs do not like to soil the space in which they sleep in. For this reason, they’ll try to keep the crate as clean as possible while inside. This will teach your dog to control their bladder and bowel at an early age. However, expect some accidents.

In addition, dog crates provide a “safe space” for your Akita Inu. No matter how social, dogs generally enjoy an enclosed space away from distractions. If used properly, crates can reduce anxiety and stress with your dog.

Lastly, having a dog crate can help teach your Akita puppy what they can and cannot chew. As a puppy, chewing is inevitable. But they can learn to only chew their own property (things you put inside the cage).

These are just a few examples of the many benefits of using a dog crate. For more information, you can check this out.

Size of the Akita Inu

Because Akitas are large dogs, they will certainly grow quickly. Most dog owners bring their dog home as a small puppy. If this is you, I’d recommend getting a crate large enough for an adult Akita.

It’ll feel a little off putting such a small puppy in a large cage, but you’ll thank me for it later. Unless you want to purchase multiple dog crates, buy a large one.

Gender	Height	Weight
Male	26-28 inches	100-130 lbs
Female	24-26 inches	70-100 lbs

The Akita Inu will generally reach full adult size (and stop growing) by month 17. Akitas can vary quite a bit in size, but these are the averages for a purebred Akita.

Crate Size for Akita Inu

Akitas are large dogs and it’s recommended you get them a 48 inch dog crate for comfortability. Though smaller Akitas or female Akitas can probably get away with a 42 inch dog crate.

However, it’s better to play it safe with a 48 inch. If you can, it’s best to assess the potential size of your dog by checking out the dog parents. It’s not always accurate, but can help.

If you have the necessary space for a 48 inch dog crate, I would just get the extra large crate. 

Top Picks: Best Crates for Akitas

There are plenty of great dog crates on the internet that would be perfect for Akita Inus. However, there are a lot of poorly made crates as well. We’ve sorted it out and found the best ones for you. 

1. MidWest Homes iCrate

The MidWest Homes iCrate is by far our favorite dog crate for the Akita Inu. In fact, we recommend this high quality crate for almost all dog breeds.

It comes with a ton of great features that we think benefit both the dog and the owner. It’s made with quality metal and comes at a very reasonable price – the best bang for the buck! Consequently, over 22 thousand happy customers have given it a 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Best Features

Reputation is (almost) everything when it comes to dog products. Furthermore, Midwest Homes is a very reputable brand that specializes in cages/crates for all pets. 

With that said, there’s a lot to love about this dog crate. For instance, the frame is coated with a non-toxic electro finish in satin black. Plus, the corners of the crate has round edges to prevent any potential mishaps for your Akita pup. They really focus on dog safety and it shows.

Akitas can sometimes get a little aggressive (though not usually). Still the dual slide bolt latch is a simple yet effective way of containing your Akita. It’s hard to see your dog breaking through this lock. 

One of the best features of the iCrate is the standard divider panel. Since you’re picking up an extra-large 48 inch crate, a small puppy might be a little overwhelmed in such a large cage. The panel lets you adjust and expand the living area as your pup grows.

A 48 inch crate is not small. There will be times when you want to put it away. Fortunately, the iCrate was built with a collapsible design. You’ll be able to fold it up into a compact carrier in a few seconds!

The removable plastic tray can come in handy, especially during the housetraining phase. In case of an accident, you can slide the bottom tray out, clean it up and slide it back in! The Double doors allow you to have easy access to your dog and whatever you put inside. It’s a very useful feature for large crates.

The Cons

To be honest, we couldn’t find many things wrong with the Midwest Homes iCrate. The only thing we would improve on is the wiring of the frame. 

It’s unlikely that your Akita will chew its way through the frame, but having a thicker frame could provide more peace of mind while you’re out and about. Keep in mind, we’re just nitpicking at this point.

If you want to learn more about the Midwest Homes iCrate, check it out on Amazon.

What Akita Owners Are Saying

Bizzy says: “I would get the best one I could find which would be Midwest ICrate with the Double-Door Folding metal dog crate and make sure that it was very thick. For us at this time, am glad I purchased this item….my Akita loves it also!”

Jennifer says: “Exactly the right thing for our Akita puppy, he will grow into this nicely. It does have a few spots that the manufacturer should spot weld, we threw electric tape around them just to make sure, but they wont hurt the dog.”

Caitlyn says: “Great for our Akita. We started her as a puppy, and were able to transition her now as a full grown dog by removing the divider. Never had an issue. Very light.”

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2. Amazon Basics Dog Crate

The Amazon Basics dog crate is obviously a product of Amazon. As such, you can expect a high quality product from the e-commerce tech titan. The Amazon Basics is appealing, functional and affordable. 

Though it has a lot of similarities to the Midwest Homes iCrate, it’s slightly different in exterior cosmetics. Still, there’s a reason why they rank so high on our list of Akita crates.

Best Features

The Amazon Basics dog crate is built with high quality metal and safely secures your Akita using their dual slide bolt latches. It’s the same locking mechanism in all the other great crates simply because it works!

Double doors is a nice option and I would highly recommend it. For a 48 inch dog crate, it may be a little difficult to grab that bowl you left on the other side of the crate. Two doors gives you more accessibility. 

Of course, the Amazon Basics crate comes with a removable plastic tray that secures to the bottom of the crate. For potential accidents (and there will be), you’ll save a lot of time with cleaning up the mess. 

Like with the iCrate, the Amazon Basics also comes with a divider panel. Akita puppies are very small compared to their adult size. It just doesn’t make sense to keep a small puppy in an extra large crate. The panel gives you flexibility to adjust the size.

If you frequently have guests over or travel with your dog, the ability to fold the crate into a carrier is a fantastic feature. No one wants a 48 inch crate in their living room all the time.

The Cons

The Amazon Basics crate is almost a replica of the Midwest Homes iCrate, though price between the two can vary. For that reason, they have the same cons – which isn’t much. 

We would like to see a thicker frame for the crate. Still, we don’t believe an Akita will be able to escape out of this one. However, we can’t say the same thing for say, a Pit Bull. 

For more information on the AmazonBasics dog crate, you can check it out here.

What Akita Owners are Saying

Michael says: “Great cage. Very easy to setup . It’s sturdy, but to make it even sturdier like the more expensive cages I’d suggest leaning it up against something , especially the larger sizes. Just to give some perspective this is a 100lb Akita in the largest size . It’s perfect!!”

Mama says: “Great cage for a great price! Very sturdy wire, our pit-akita mix is 35 lbs now at 4 months and we anticipate he is going to get big, so we got the largest sized crate since he outgrew the smaller one we had. He seems very happy with it.”

RLG says: “I should have bought this right away being you can adjust the separator panel throughout growth. I wouldn’t see any need for up grade with this, even with a full grown 100+ lbs Akita.”

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3. New World Metal Dog Crate

And finally, we have our last (but not least) pick for a dog crate. The New World Metal dog crate makes our list because it’s built well and is even more affordable for Akita owners. 

But because it costs less than the other picks, the New World crate comes without some features that we love in the other two picks. At the end of the day, it’s a great dog crate and works perfectly with an Akita Inu.

Best Features

As you may have guessed, the New World metal dog crate is made with quality metal. For this reason, it’s light and durable – which owners can certainly appreciate while shopping for a large crate.

The New World, like the others, is built with a dual slide bolt latches. This locking mechanism has been time-tested and it works! There’s no need to worry about your Akita breaking through this lock.

It also comes with a standard removable plastic tray. This tray secures to the bottom of the crate and can slide out for easy-cleaning if your Akita pup ever makes a mess. They will, so this will be useful!

With the New World crate, transportation and storage is easier than ever! You’ll be able to collapse this crate into a carrier in a few seconds. This is extra convenient for large crates, like a 48 inch crate.

The Cons

Unlike the other two recommended options, the New World does not come with a divider panel. The Akita Inu will grow quickly and a panel will surely be useful. But it’s not a deal breaker. 

Divider panels can help with stress and anxiety at an early age, but not all puppies will feel overwhelmed in a bigger crate. It depends on the dog. However, if you still want a divider panel, you can buy a compatible one from Midwest Homes

Again, we would have preferred if this crate had thicker wires. But we know that the thinness of the frame is required to make it a collapsible design. So, we’re really nitpicking right now.

if you want to learn more about the New World crate, check out the current price here.

What Akita Owners are Saying

Kohl says: “Since he is a higher energy dog I also feel having a bigger cage for him also is better for his mental health when I am gone. He has a place to rest, a place to eat, and a place to play by himself. This is a wonderful crate. It is also very easy to clean which is a bonus. I highly recommend it.”

Conley says: “Not sure why this cage would get a bad review but this cage is perfect for what i needed. I wanted a extra large cage so my dog had room to stretch while I’m at work. I have an inu and i can fit his bed bowl and toys in the cage.”

Don says: “I was happy to see that the quality was equal to what was selling in the pet store for much less. You can’t go wrong with this purchase, it really is sturdy with plenty of room. Has two lock latches on the door, I don’t think my pup will be able to get out or cause much damage to it. Folds up and down easy.”

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Do you own any of these dog crates for your Akita Inu? Let us know what you think in the comments section below! Also, if you have a great dog crate, feel free to leave a link in the section below.