Crate size by breed / Herding group
Australian Shepherd crate size
An adult Australian Shepherd weighs 35–70 lb, which straddles two of the manufacturer's bands: 30 in for a dog up to 40 lb and 36 in above that. Measure your dog's length before choosing.
Which crate for a Australian Shepherd
The chart below is MidWest's iCrate sizing, the most common wire crate in US pet stores, with the Australian Shepherd's weight range marked. Interior lengths are the figures the manufacturer lists, not the nominal size, which is why a "36 in" crate is 36.6 in inside.
| Crate | Label | Interior L × W × H (in) | Dog weight | Australian Shepherd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 in | Toy | 17.68 × 11.7 × 14.22 | 1–6 lb | Too small |
| 22 in | Extra Small | 22.5 × 14 × 16 | 7–12 lb | Too small |
| 24 in | Small | 23.6 × 16.7 × 19.1 | 11–25 lb | Too small |
| 30 in | Medium | 29.7 × 18.6 × 21 | 26–40 lb | Fits the 35–70 lb range |
| 36 in | Intermediate | 36.6 × 21.9 × 24.5 | 41–70 lb | Fits the 35–70 lb range |
| 42 in | Large | 41.9 × 29.5 × 30.3 | 70–90 lb | Fits the 35–70 lb range |
| 48 in | Extra Large | 47.76 × 29.6 × 31.7 | 90–110 lb | Larger than needed |
Crate dimensions and weight bands: MidWest Homes for Pets — iCrate product sizing (manufacturer), checked 2026-10-20.
Measure before you buy
Weight bands are a shortcut. The dimension that decides whether a crate works is body length. Stand the dog, measure from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail (not the tail tip), and add 2 to 4 inches; the crate's interior length must be at least that. For height, measure from the floor to the top of the head while sitting and add the same allowance. For a Australian Shepherd this is the measurement that settles the 30 in-or-36 in question: a dog measuring 28 in or less fits the 30 in; longer than that needs the 36 in.
The welfare rule is the one every shelter and trainer repeats: the crate must be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around. Bigger is not better for house-training, because a crate with spare floor space invites the puppy to soil one end and sleep in the other, which is why the adult-size crates in this chart ship with a divider panel.
Puppies: buy the adult size and use the divider
A Australian Shepherd puppy reaches 70 lb at maturity, so buying a puppy-sized crate means buying twice. Choose the crate for the adult weight above, fit the divider so the puppy has room to stand, turn and lie down and no more, and move the divider back as the dog grows. The Australian Shepherd puppy feeding chart shows the growth stages the divider will follow.
Bed size for a Australian Shepherd
Using Orvis's rectangle-bed fit guide, a 70 lb Australian Shepherd takes the Large (43 × 29 in), while a dog at the 35 lb end of the range fits the Small (28 × 18 in). Dogs that sleep stretched out need the length of their body plus a few inches; curl-sleepers can go one size down in a bolster bed. Full chart on the bed size page.
How the Australian Shepherd compares
By mid-range adult weight, the Australian Shepherd ranks 28 of 49 breeds on this site, with 20 heavier and 28 lighter — a large breed in the size classes used here.
Breeds of similar weight, whose crate answer is the same or one size off: Siberian Husky (45–60 lb), English Springer Spaniel (40–60 lb), Vizsla (45–66 lb), Poodle (Standard) (44–71 lb), Bulldog (40–50 lb).
Adult height from Wikipedia breed infobox/body; adult weight from Wikipedia breed infobox/body; both checked 2026-10-20. Height is at the withers in inches; weight in pounds for adult dogs. Where a breed standard states a figure it is used first (AKC, then FCI); where the standard is silent, the Wikipedia infobox or VCA breed page is used and named. Metric figures were converted and rounded to the nearest half inch or pound. Where the source gives only a maximum, the range reads "up to" that figure.