What to Put in a Dog Crate: Bedding, Water, Toys and What to Leave Out

What to put in a dog crate: the checklist

A crate works when your dog treats it as a quiet bedroom, so everything inside has to earn its place. The test for each item is the same: could your dog chew it up, swallow it, get caught on it or overheat because of it while nobody is watching? We don’t sell crates, so this list starts from the one you already have.

Every time

• Water, in a bowl that clips to the crate or is too heavy to tip
• A floor your dog can lie on comfortably: a bed, a mat or a bare tray, depending on the dog
• Collar, tags, harness and any coat taken off before the door closes
• A spot where the family spends time, out of direct sun and away from heat vents, cords and curtains

Depends on your dog

• Washable bedding, once your dog is reliably housetrained and leaves fabric alone
• A cooling mat for a dog who seeks out cold floors
• A food-stuffed chew toy, too big to swallow, once you’ve watched your dog use it safely
• A breathable cover over part of the crate for a dog who settles better in a den
• A worn T-shirt that smells of you, for a dog who doesn’t chew fabric

Only while you’re watching

• A loaded lick mat
• Squeaky, plush and fabric toys, tough ones included
• Edible chews such as rawhide or bully sticks
• A new stuffed chew toy, until you’ve seen how your dog handles it

Leave out

• Anything small enough to swallow, and toys that are torn or coming apart
• Rope toys, string, ribbon and blankets with fringe or loose threads
• A puppy pad under or beside the bedding
• Cords, plug-in heating pads and anything your dog can reach through the bars

Bedding: when to add it, and when to wait

For an adult dog who is reliably housetrained and doesn’t chew fabric, bedding is what turns a crate into a place they choose. Humane World for Animals’ crate training guide recommends a comfortable bed or blanket to make the crate cozy, and a washable one makes sense, because every crate sees the odd accident or muddy paw.

Puppies are the exception. The AKC’s guide to crate training points out that many puppies prefer to go potty on soft, porous surfaces, and suggests waiting to add blankets and beds until your dog consistently has no accidents and doesn’t shred fabric. Until then, a bare crate tray is fine, or a single old towel you can wash and won’t miss.

Whatever you use should lie flat on the crate floor without riding up the walls, and your dog should still be able to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably, which is the AKC’s test for crate size. A thick bed can take away the headroom a tall dog needs; our guide to measuring a dog for a bed shows how to measure the inside of a crate and check the height. Look the bedding over each time you wash it, since a frayed edge or a hole in the cover is often where shredding starts.

A cool layer for hot sleepers

A dog who leaves their bed for the kitchen tile is telling you they run warm, and a fully padded crate gives them nowhere cooler to go. Swap part of the bedding for a cooling mat, or leave a strip of bare tray beside the bed so your dog can choose. Lay the mat flat, and watch the first few sessions before you leave your dog alone with it, since a bored dog may test it with their teeth.

A mat helps in a warm room, not a hot one. Keep the crate out of direct sun and away from vents and radiators, and in warm weather leave at least two sides open to the air. Our comparison of a cooling mat and an elevated dog bed explains why a gel mat usually fits a crate more easily than a raised cot.

For the crate floor, here are two picks from our beds and comfort range, limited to Nilosi’s catalog. Neither is a pad made for a particular crate. The cuddler’s Small is 22 inches square, wider than many crates made for small dogs, and the mat’s listing gives no dimensions, so measure the inside of your crate and ask us before you order.

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  The Green Pet Shop

  Chillz Cooling Gel Mat for Dogs & Cats, View product

  $45.95

  Why it fits: Gives a warm sleeper a cool patch on the crate floor, with pressure-activated gel that needs no water, freezing or power to work.

  View product

• 

  Armarkat

  Ultra-Plush Cuddler Bed for Cats & Small Dogs, Choose size

  $55.95 – $72.95Price range: $55.95 through $72.95

  Why it fits: For a small dog who curls up and leaves fabric alone; the Small is 22 x 22 in, so it needs a crate or pen at least that wide inside.

  Choose size

Water in the crate

The AKC’s crate training guide says to provide water in the crate as well, and it matters most on longer stretches, in warm rooms and after exercise. The practical problem is spills: a light bowl gets tipped, the bedding gets soaked, and your dog spends the afternoon on a wet pad with nothing left to drink.

• A bowl that fixes to the crate: clipped or bolted to the wire at a height your dog can reach comfortably. We don’t sell these, but most pet stores do.
• Or a heavy, wide-based bowl: in a corner away from the bed, so a splash doesn’t reach the bedding.
• Fresh water each time: refill it whenever your dog goes in, and wash the bowl daily.

With a puppy who is still housetraining, it’s tempting to take the water away to cut down on accidents. Ask your veterinarian before limiting water at any time of day, and don’t leave a dog without it in a warm room.

Chews, toys and lick mats: what needs watching

A job for the mouth makes crate time easier. The AKC’s guide passes on trainer Rachel Lane’s advice to give your dog a food-stuffed chew toy whenever they go in, frozen first so it lasts longer. The classic choice is a sturdy rubber toy with a hollow center, too big to swallow. We don’t stock one, so buy it sized for your dog’s mouth, and watch how your dog handles it over several sessions before leaving them alone with it. If they work at the rubber rather than the food, or bite pieces off, it stays a supervised toy.

Meals can go in the crate too: VCA Animal Hospitals’ crate training overview suggests feeding your dog’s meals there from a food toy or slow-feeder bowl. Take the bowl out once it’s empty, so it doesn’t turn into something to chew.

Everything else in this group is for crate time while you’re in the room: a loaded lick mat while you cook dinner, a toy while you work at the desk beside the crate. When you leave, it comes out. Humane World for Animals’ toy safety advice explains why: a dog may set out to find and destroy the squeaker in a squeaky toy, and edible chews such as rawhide can be choking hazards, so both belong to supervised time. For spreads that suit a lick mat, and how long to freeze one, see what to put on a lick mat.

Two picks fit that supervised slot: a lick mat from our feeding and enrichment range and a tough, stuffing-free toy.

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  SodaPup

  Jigsaw Enrichment Lick Mat for Dogs & Cats, Choose color

  $25.95

  Why it fits: A supervised job while you are home: press soft food into the jigsaw grooves, freeze it for longer, and remove it once licked clean.

  Choose color

• 

  Fire Hose Crocodile Dog Toy, View product

  $30.95

  Why it fits: A tough toy for crate time while you sit nearby; fire-hose material with no stuffing, but squeakers inside, so it leaves with you.

  View product

A cover for dogs who like a den

Some dogs like to keep an eye on the room; others settle better in the dark. The AKC’s guide notes that some prefer a wire crate so they can see what’s going on, while others do better in a darker, more den-like crate, such as one with a removable cover. Try a cover while you’re home before you rely on it.

• Cover part of it: drape a breathable sheet or a fitted crate cover over the top and two or three sides, leaving the front or one side open.
• Keep fabric outside the bars: tuck or fit the cover so nothing hangs inside where your dog can pull it through and chew it.
• Lift it in the heat: take it off in warm weather, or as soon as your dog is panting.
• Watch the reaction: if your dog seems more unsettled under it, leave it off.

A plastic crate with solid sides already has that den feel. A corner also does part of the job: two walls behind the crate and a view of the family.

What to leave out of the crate

Collar, tags and harness

The AKC’s advice is plain: the collar comes off whenever your dog is in the crate. Tags, buckles and the collar itself can catch on the wire or the door, and a dog who panics against a caught collar may not be able to free themselves. A harness has more rings and straps to snag, so it comes off too, and so does a coat or sweater, since a crated dog can’t shed a layer if the room warms up. Our guide on whether a dog can wear a harness all the time covers the rest of the home routine.

Anything that can be swallowed

Small balls, torn toys, rope toys, ribbon and fringed blankets all come out, along with any bed with stuffing showing, because a bored dog can pull strands loose or chew pieces off with nobody there to notice. Humane World for Animals advises throwing toys away once they start to break into pieces or tear, and choosing toys too big to be swallowed or to lodge in the throat.

A puppy pad in the crate

A pad beside the bed gives a puppy a toilet inside their bedroom, which works against the habit crate training relies on, and a bored puppy may shred it. If your puppy can’t yet hold it for as long as they’re alone, shorten the stretch, or follow VCA’s housetraining advice: a pen or gated area with a resting spot, such as the open crate, and a separate potty spot, such as a pad.

Cords and anything in reach

Check what your dog can reach through the wire: charging cables, lamp cords, curtains, blind cords and houseplants. A plug-in heating pad puts a cord inside the crate itself, so leave it out for any dog who might chew.

For the bedding itself, a flat pad usually beats a full bed in a crate. Crate mat vs dog bed covers why, and where the opposite holds.

Puppies, chewers and seniors: adjusting the setup

Dog	Bedding	Extras
Young puppy	Bare tray or one old towel	Water, a frozen stuffed chew
Shredder	Nothing it can tear apart yet	A tough chew, only while watched
Senior dog	Thick, supportive, non-slip	Water within easy reach
Hot sleeper	Thin bed with a bare patch	Cooling mat, airflow on two sides
Crate rest	What your vet advises	Quiet jobs your vet approves

Puppies

Add a bed once accidents and shredding have stopped. If the crate is sized for the adult dog, the AKC suggests a divider so the space can grow with your puppy. Keep each stretch short: Humane World for Animals advises that puppies under 6 months shouldn’t stay in a crate for more than three or four hours at a time. Our new puppy checklist covers the rest of the first-week setup.

Chewers and shredders

Give a chewer one thing at a time and check it after every session. A dog who shreds bedding is safer on a bare tray for now than on a pad they can swallow pieces of; try a single folded towel again in a few weeks. Tougher toys last longer, but no toy is indestructible.

Heavy panting, drooling, nonstop barking or frantic attempts to get out, such as biting at the bars, suggest distress rather than boredom, and more toys won’t fix it. VCA’s crate training advice for a very distressed dog is to let them out, end the session and hold off on more crate time until you’ve talked to your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist.

Senior dogs

Older dogs often need more cushion. Choose a thick, supportive bed that lets your dog stretch out, not just curl up, with a non-slip base so it doesn’t slide when they get up. Keep water within easy reach, and leave the door open when you’re home so they can come and go. New leaks, stiffness getting up or restless nights are reasons to see your veterinarian; a waterproof layer under washable bedding helps in the meantime.

Dogs on crate rest

If your veterinarian has ordered crate rest after surgery or an injury, their instructions on bedding, toys and time out of the crate come first. For quiet activities that fit inside those rules, see enrichment for dogs on crate rest.