Best Dog Crate Furniture UK: An Honest Buyer's Guide

A furniture-style dog crate is a wooden or MDF crate built to double as an end table, side table or TV stand, so the crate stops looking like a cage in the middle of your living room. The four picks below run from £117.99 to £156.99, including our current best-selling model, and between them cover corner-fit medium dogs through to large low-slung breeds and full-size XL dogs. They suit calm, already crate-trained adult dogs that don't chew wood, and they're for indoor use only, since wood-based panels swell if they get wet. If your dog is still learning to be crated, or is a determined chewer, a traditional wire crate is the better and cheaper place to start. More on that below.

In this article

• What actually counts as "dog crate furniture"?
• Is it actually worth it, or just a wire crate in a box?
• What size do I need?
• 4 dog crate furniture picks, including our bestseller
• Furniture crate vs wire crate: which should you buy?
• How do I measure my dog for a crate?
• FAQ

What actually counts as "dog crate furniture"?

Dog crate furniture is a crate built from MDF, particleboard or solid wood, with a steel-barred door and side panels for ventilation, styled to pass as a normal piece of furniture. Most have a flat top rated to hold a lamp, books or a plant, and some run on wheels so you can move them between rooms. The frame is the difference from a standard cage: wood and board instead of exposed wire on every side, which is why it reads as furniture rather than kennel.

It isn't a different category of containment, though. Inside, it's still a crate with a lockable door, and it does the same job a wire crate does: giving your dog a defined, secure space of their own.

Is it actually worth it, or just a wire crate in a box?

Both, honestly. Structurally, a furniture crate is a steel-barred or wire-mesh enclosure like a wire crate, dressed with wood panels or a wood-effect frame so it reads as furniture. What you're actually paying the extra £44 to £83 for is the disguise: a piece your living room doesn't have to apologise for. Some models also enclose the sides more than a standard wire crate, which suits dogs that find an open cage they can see straight through a bit exposed, though a few, like the open-wire model below, keep full visibility on all sides while still hiding the frame in a wood-effect top and base.

The trade-offs are real too. Furniture crates are heavier, harder to clean than wipe-down wire bars, and none of them are rated for a determined chewer. If your dog goes at wood with any enthusiasm, this is not the crate for them.

What size dog crate furniture do I need?

Every furniture crate on this list is built around a specific size bracket, and getting it wrong is the single most common reason these get returned. Measure your dog before you order (see the guide further down), then check the numbers below against your dog's actual measurements, not their breed name.

For breed reference only, always measure your own dog rather than relying on breed name (see the measuring guide further down): the corner medium crate suits Cocker Spaniels, Cockapoos, Beagles and French Bulldogs; the enclosed large end table suits Cocker Spaniels, Springer Spaniels, Cockapoos and smaller Labradors; the mesh XL end table suits Labradors, Labradoodles, Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians and German Shepherds; the bestselling sliding-door crate is sized for low, long dogs only, Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, Corgis and smaller French Bulldogs, and doesn't suit taller breeds regardless of weight.

One important caveat on our bestseller: its 114cm length looks like it should suit any large dog, but the internal height is only 54cm, fine for low-slung breeds, too low for a standing Labrador or German Shepherd to sit up in comfortably. Check your dog's sitting head height against 44cm before ordering, not just their weight or breed size. If you have a toy or small breed under 20kg needing a smaller footprint than any of the four below, see the full in-stock range at the bottom of this article.

4 dog crate furniture picks, including our bestseller

Opal Retail stocks dog crate furniture in dozens of sizes, colours and finishes, from around £90 up to £220. The four below are our best-performing picks by recent sales, all in stock as of today; prices and sizes are pulled straight from the live listings. If you have a small or toy breed, see the full in-stock range at the bottom of this article for smaller sizes.

Medium dogs, corner-fit design

Corner Dog Crate Side Table with Cushion

Fits into a room corner to use floor space a rectangular crate can't. Internal 97 x 50 x 60cm, suits dogs up to 20kg. Washable cushion included.

£117.99 View product →

Large dogs, enclosed den-like sides

Dog Crate End Table with Enclosed Sides

Solid wooden side panels rather than wire, for dogs that settle better without seeing everything going on around them. Internal 95 x 54 x 66.3cm, suits dogs up to 30kg and 60cm body length. Washable cushion included.

£120.99 View product →

Large and XL dogs, full visibility

Dog Crate End Table with Mesh Sides

Wire mesh on three sides so your dog can see out, sized for larger breeds most furniture crates can't fit. Internal 113 x 69 x 74.3cm, suits Labrador-sized dogs and up. Washable cushion included.

£142.99 View product →

Our bestseller, low-slung breeds

Extra Large Dog Crate Side Table with Sliding Door

Our best-selling furniture crate, with a wide top and a space-saving sliding barn door. Built for long, low dogs rather than tall ones: internal height is 54cm, so it suits Dachshunds, Basset Hounds and Corgis rather than Labradors or Retrievers. BS5852 fire-certified cushion included.

£156.99 View product →

Furniture crate vs wire crate: which should you buy?

Buy a wire crate first if your dog has never been crated before. Wire crates are cheaper, fold flat for storage, and let your dog see out on every side, which makes the early training easier because they don't feel shut off from the room. Once your dog is settled and comfortable, that's the point to consider moving across to a furniture crate.

Buy furniture crate straight away if your dog is already crate-trained, calm, and not a chewer, and the thing actually stopping you from using a crate is that it looks out of place in your living room. The enclosed sides also suit dogs that find an open wire crate too exposed.

Stick with wire if your dog chews, if you need a divider panel to grow with a puppy (most furniture crates don't include one), or if the crate needs to live somewhere it might get damp, like a porch or conservatory. Wood-based panels warp and swell with moisture, so furniture crates are strictly an indoor, dry-room product.

We've covered the training and welfare side of this in more depth in Furniture Style Dog Crates: Do They Actually Work?, including whether the enclosed design genuinely suits anxious dogs. Worth a read before you buy if you're not sure your dog is ready for one.

How do I measure my dog for a crate?

Measure your dog before you order, not after. Two measurements matter:

• Length: nose to the base of the tail, not the tail tip, then add 10 to 15cm. That figure is your minimum internal length.
• Height: floor to the top of their head when sitting upright, then add 10cm.

Always check your numbers against a crate's internal dimensions, not the external size, since the wood panels on furniture crates add several centimetres on every side. If your dog sits between two sizes on the table above, go with the larger crate. A crate that's too small is uncomfortable; one that's slightly too big is not a problem.

For general guidance on introducing a crate to your dog for the first time, the PDSA's crate training advice is a good independent starting point, including their guidance on never leaving a dog crated for more than a few hours at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Is dog crate furniture safe for dogs?

The steel bars and locking doors work the same way as a standard wire crate, so containment-wise it's equally safe. None of the suppliers we stock publish independent safety certification for the board finish, so we recommend airing a new crate for 24 to 48 hours before first use, particularly if you notice a new-wood smell on unboxing.

What size dog crate furniture do I need?

Measure your dog's length (nose to tail base, plus 10 to 15cm) and height (floor to head when sitting, plus 10cm), then match that against the crate's internal dimensions, not the external size. See the sizing table above for our four featured picks, or browse the full range for more sizes and finishes.

Is dog crate furniture worth the extra cost over a wire crate?

Only if your dog is already crate-trained and calm. You're paying extra for the disguise and the more enclosed feel, not for better containment. If your dog isn't crate-trained yet, spend less on a wire crate first and switch later if you want to.

Can I use dog crate furniture outdoors, like on a covered porch?

No. The wood-based panels on every model we stock will warp and swell if they get damp, so these are indoor-only, dry-room furniture. For anywhere exposed to moisture, use a wire or metal crate instead.

Will dog crate furniture survive a dog that chews?

No. Wood and MDF panels don't stand up to a determined chewer, and none of the crates on this list are marketed as chew-resistant. If your dog chews when left alone, a metal wire crate is the safer and more durable choice.