Great Danes are truly…great. Known for their extremely large statures and friendly demeanors, Great Danes are consistently in the top 10 most popular breed list.
If you’re considering raising a Great Dane, there are a lot of things to prepare for. You’ll need to prepare the right food, get the proper vaccinations, among many other things. One of the first and most important one-time purchases you’ll need to make is a dog crate.
Benefits of Crate Training a Great Dane
Crate training is not cruel for your Great Dane. Some veterinarians will even tell you that it’s essential for a healthy and normal lifestyle while in domestication.
Rather, i’ll argue that there are many advantages in crate training your Great Dane. For example, it’s the most effective way to housetraining your Great Dane. Dogs inherently try not to soil where they sleep.
For this reason, putting them in a dog crate teaches them how to control their bladder/bowel during puppyhood. Just make sure you clean up any mess they make as soon as possible.
Putting your Great Dane in a dog crate can even reduce anxiety and stress. Dogs in the wild will look for a small den as a means of protection. They feel most relaxed and secured when they have their own “safe space.” A crate can be this for a dog.
In addition, it’ll teach your puppy to limit teething activities to his or her own things (whatever you put inside the dog crate).
These are just some of the many benefits that come along with crate training a Great Dane.
Size of a Great Dane
Great Danes are not small dogs, and they grow quickly in the puppyhood years. Though they can be smaller if crossbred with another breed, Great Danes can also vary in size depending on parentage and gender.
These are the average sizes for purebred Great Danes.
Gender | Weight | Height |
Male | 30-34 inches | 120-200 lbs |
Female | 28-32 inches | 99-130 lbs |
Crate Size for Great Danes
For the average purebred Great Dane, the recommended dog crate size is 54 inches. Not all brands and companies make these XXL dog crates for Great Danes. Fortunately, we’ve found them all and reviewed them for you!
Great Danes take 18 months to reach full adult size, which is longer than most dog breeds. With that said, it’s best to buy a dog crate for a Great Dane’s adult size and not their current puppy size.
These dogs grow fast and you don’t want to waste too much money buying multiple crates for your dog.
The Best Crates for a Great Dane
Great Danes are large dog breeds – like extremely large. So, it’s a little harder to find the perfect crate since options are limited. However, we’ve found some that we believe are the best for Great Danes:
#1 Midwest Homes XXL Dog Crate
Midwest Homes is one of the most reputable brands on Amazon when it comes to dog crates and pet cages. Their regular-sized dog crate is frequently our top choice for many other sizes of dog breeds.
Fortunately, they also make an extra-large version perfect for Great Danes. This crate comes in the standard dimensions of (54L x 37W x 45H) inches and weighs about 80 pounds.
- What to Get: The 54 inch
- Reviews: 1,200 +
- Stars: 4 / 5 Stars
- Highlights: Secured latches, double doors, L-Bar, removable pan, convenience.
Best Features
Midwest Homes has always built their dog crates with safety in mind. And the XXL crate is no exception. What’s innovative about this crate is the drop-pin construction with their patented “L-Bar”on the top panel. This bar reinforces the crate’s side panels for an extra layer of durability.
With a dog as large as the Great Dane, you’ll appreciate this new safety feature exclusively made for the XXL crate.
The XXL crate is built with durable mesh metal with 3 heavy-duty slide bolt latches on each door. Most Great Danes are relatively gentle and calm, but there are some that are hyper. In which case, this locking mechanism is more than enough to secure your dog.
Of course, the XXL crate comes with a removably plastic tray. Slide the pan out from underneath the crate, clean it up and slide it right back in.
This dog crate comes with a nice protective and rust-resistant e-coat finish that’s both dog safe and looks nice. To top things off, Midwest even offers a 1-year Manufacturer’s Warranty!
The Cons
If we’re nitpicking, the biggest downside is that it doesn’t come with a divider panel. These panels are great, especially for Great Danes, because it allows us to adjust the size of the crate for a rapidly growing pup.
The company does offer an optional divider panel, but you have to purchase it. Price will vary, but you can check out the price here.
I also wish they made this crate more convenient for owners. For example, making it collapsable or foldable for storage and transportation. I understand it’s difficult with a crate as large as this, but the feature would be really nice.
What Great Dane Owners are Saying
Paul says: “My Great Dane Puppy really enjoys his 54″ kennel, its perfect size for him to stretch out in and sometimes he just goes in there to play with his toys. I got him at 8 weeks old and now he is 11 weeks. We never had any problems with him making messes in his cage, he just crys when he has to go.”
Emily says: “This cage is the xxl 54″ and my Dane stands up perfectly in it, he was so happy to finally have a crate with enough space. So if you have a dog of this size, I definitely recommend this crate. Thank you to seller and mailman who handled the package with care.”
Karen says: “What a GREAT crate! Well made, VERY sturdy! EXTREMELY large. Our Dane loves it! … I’d buy this again from Midwest, but unless we decide to buy another Dane soon, there’s no need. This one will last a lifetime!”
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#2 Lucky Dog Uptown Wire Kennel
Most Great Danes end up being outdoor dogs simply because they’re too big for the home. And if that’s your plan, then you may want to consider using an outdoor dog crate or kennel.
The Lucky Dog Wire Kennel is large and perfect for Great Danes that need a functional crate. For these outdoor dog crates, Lucky Dog makes the best!
- What to Get: 6’H x 4’W x 8’L or 6’H x 4’W x 4’L
- Reviews: 1,000 +
- Stars: 4.5 / 5 Stars
- Highlights: Waterproof crate cover, latch & lock gate, stainless steel welds, easy assemble.
Best Features
Despite it’s look, the Lucky Dog kennel is very easy to setup. The crate comes with pre-assembled panels that quickly connect to one another using tightening clamps. There are no tools required!
When outside, your Great Dane can get easily distracted by so many things. All it takes is a squirrel to run by for them to try to escape. However, the Lucky Dog kennel comes with a waterproof cover to really provide your Great Dane with a stress-free environment.
Because of the crate’s raised legs (1.5 inches), you’ll be able to clean the crate by sweeping through the bottom of the crate or hosing it down.
Kennel comes with an easy latch and lock gate that swings open for easy entry/exit. The latch on the gate will firmly and safely secure your Great Dane. It also works with any basic padlock for added security.
The kennel is built with top quality stainless steel welds and rounded edges so your Great Dane won’t easily injure him or herself. It’s also coated in rust-resistant powder to extend the life of your kennel.
The Cons
The biggest downside of this outdoor kennel is that you can’t easily transport it. In order to put it in storage or take it somewhere, you’ll have to take it apart, which can be time consuming to do.
With that said, you’ll need a large enough space for this – whether inside or outside the house.
It would be great if this came with, or at least had the option for a divider panel where you can adjust the space of the kennel. Yes, it’s tall and not easy to do. However, because it’s so big, I think a divider would come in handy.
For more information and reviews, check out the Lucky Dog Uptown on Amazon.
What Great Dane Owners are Saying
Vivian says: “I saw a lot of reviews that people were using this for cat closures but we needed something heavy duty for our (currently) 70 lb Great Dane puppy. It’s PERFECT! It was SO easy to put together and becasue its all solid panels we don’t need to worry about him knocking it down. And the roof is awesome to block out the Texas sun. Absolutely recommend this!!!”
Antonia says: “This is an awesome product. We have three Great Danes so we bought two of them. They are really easy to set up (really you could do it with one person). With two people they took about 20 minutes each. We put the tarp on one because we have one Dane that is a climber. This prevents him from getting out. We use them for kennels in our garage and they work great. Good price as well. Very durable.”
Amazon Customer says: “we have 4 of these for our Great Danes. I am super happy with them and have put them in our dog room (4th bedroom in our house). I do not recommend them for dogs with separation anxiety or severe storm phobia. My one boy couldnt be in one of these. He would stick in head under it and lift it up and get out. One of my other danes knows how to open the gate so i have to clip it.”
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#3 Advantek Outdoor Dog Kennel
If you’re looking for “luxury,” this may just be for you. The Advantek Dog Kennel is a beautiful and simple gazebo-style kennel that’s perfect for Great Danes that frequently hang out outside.
It’s built very sturdy with cool features unique to this brand’s kennel. Though it’s not cheap, it’s certainly worth the price if you have the space in your backyard.
- What to Get: 8 foot
- Reviews: 500 +
- Stars: 4.5 / 5 Stars
- Highlights: Waterproof crate cover, safe & secure latching, sturdy steel construction, easy assemble.
Best Features
The Advantek Pet Gazebo is a beautiful, low-profile design kennel that’ll complement any backyard. All while providing the protection and functionality you’ll need in a kennel for your Great Dane.
Set up is extremely easy to do and can be done in 10 minutes. It’s possible to set this up with one person, but it’ll be a lot faster with two. There are no tools required with setup of this kennel.
The kennel is built with high quality steel construction with Advantek’s patented “AztekGold” durable finish.
It also comes with a weather resistant polyurethane cover to protect your Great Dane from rain, snow or whatever the weather throws at you.
It’s very easy to take apart and put back together, making it one of the best transportation kennels you can buy for a large dog, such as a Great Dane. It’s perfect if you plan to bring your Great Dane on a camping trip!
What’s special about this is the ability to combine multiple gazebos together. If you have more than one Great Dane, you can combine two or more of these kennels together. It’s very easy to do and requires no extra tools! Plus, it looks fantastic when it’s set up with multiple.
The Cons
You really get what you pay for. Although it’s beautifully designed and sturdy, it is not cheap. It’s by far the most expensive on this list.
Another thing I wish this kennel had was the ability to add a divider panel in the kennel for when your Great Dane is still a small puppy. It’s no deal breaker but it’s something that would be nice to have.
However, with the octagonal shape, it would be hard to make a divider for this kennel.
For more information and to read more reviews on the Advantek Dog Kennel, check it out on Amazon.
What Great Dane Owners are Saying
Marie says: “This is awesome! Took us less than 10 minutes to assemble…super easy! We watched a video the other day before ordering and we didn’t even pull the instructions out of the box today…So, this is the Large gazebo. Each panel is 36″ W x 65″ H. Our great Dane is 175lbs, 38″ at the shoulders, and about 6′ nose to butt…so, he’s a big boy and has plenty of room on here for temporary housing. The construction is solid, yet it’s still easy to maneuver. We’re going to be full time RVing, so this is exactly what we need. 5 stars!”
CS-FL says: “This works great for my two 8-month old Great Danes. They’ve always kenneled together and this is big enough for both of them (for now anyway). I was concerned with it being off the ground that they may be able to move it or flip it over but its very sturdy.”
Shelly says: “We bought this for our Great Dane and put it in our den. It fit perfectly and is spacious for our Blue. He loves it. It was easy and quick to put together. We love it!”
VIEW PRICE ON AMAZONDid we miss any dog crates or kennels that work best for your Great Dane? If so, leave a comment in the comment section below. And if you’ve tried one of these, let us know how it worked out for you!