How do I work out the right size travel crate for my dog?

Use the IATA formula: inside length is nose to tail root plus half the floor to elbow height, width is twice the shoulder width, and height is floor to ear tip plus the bedding. Snub-nosed breeds need a crate 10% larger, and the airline has the final word.

Crate size

What size crate does he need?

Take four measurements with him standing, and we'll run them through IATA's own formula and draw the crate around him, to scale.

Where the tape goes, side on. C is the one you take from above: straight across his shoulders, or his widest point. The same letters IATA uses.

Measure inCentimetresInches

A. Length Tip of the nose to the root of the tail. Not the tail itself.cmB. Leg The floor to his elbow, standing.cmC. Width Across his shoulders, or his widest point if that's wider.cmD. Height The floor to the top of his head or his ear tips, whichever is higher, standing naturally.cm

Bedding IATA adds your bedding to the height. A folded blanket is a few cm; change it to match yours.cmHe's a snub-nosed breed. A Pug, a French Bulldog, a Persian cat and the like. IATA asks for a crate 10% larger.Sharing the crate Only for two adults up to 14 kg each, used to living together. Over 14 kg, one each.His name IATA recommends it goes on the crate. We'll put it on the label.

Each one should be between 5 and 200 cm, measured with him standing on a flat floor and a soft tape.

Example measurements. Put in his.

Minimum inside size, length by width by height

864467 cm

Length is A plus half of B, width is C times two, and height is D plus the bedding, all measured inside.

The airline flying him has the final word. IATA says this formula is a guide, and he must be able to stand, sit up straight, lie down naturally and turn around. Some airlines want more, some won't take wooden crates, and some want extra steel mesh. We check the crate against the airline before you buy it.

Ask us to check it Then get him used to it

What IATA asks of the crate itself

Size is only the start.

These come from the same IATA container rules. An airline can add its own on top, which is why we check the crate with the airline flying him before you buy it.

Source: IATA Live Animals Regulations, 52nd edition (January 2026), Container Requirement 1, page 305, pages 303 to 309.

One whole end of the crate has to be welded wire mesh, and there's ventilation on all four sides, at least 16% of their surface.
Openings no bigger than 25 by 25 mm for dogs and 19 by 19 mm for cats, so no nose or paw gets through.
A water bowl fixed inside, that can be filled from outside without opening the door. A water bottle doesn't count.
Absorbent bedding goes in, and IATA makes it a requirement.
Wheels taken off or locked, and metal nuts and bolts holding a plastic crate together, not just clips.
A green Live Animals label, and This Way Up labels on two opposite sides. His name on it is a good idea.
Two adults can share only if each is 14 kg or less and they're used to living together. Over 14 kg, each needs a crate of his own.

Got the crate? Now the part that matters most.

Getting him used to it at home does more for how he travels than anything we do. There are five steps, and the first is taking the door off.

Crate training, step by step