Crate size by breed / Terrier group
Terrier group · small breed
Border Terrier crate size
An adult Border Terrier weighs 13–15.5 lb, which sits inside the manufacturer's 24 in band (11–25 lb, 23.6 × 16.7 × 19.1 in interior).
- 1Shoulder 13–16 in
- 2Crate 24 in · 23.6 × 19.1 in inside
- 3Adult weight 13–15.5 lb
- 4Bed Small 28 × 18 in
Which crate for a Border Terrier
The chart below is MidWest's iCrate sizing, the most common wire crate in US pet stores, with the Border Terrier'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 | Border Terrier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Fits the 13–15.5 lb range |
| 30 in | Medium | 29.7 × 18.6 × 21 | 26–40 lb | Larger than needed |
| 36 in | Intermediate | 36.6 × 21.9 × 24.5 | 41–70 lb | Larger than needed |
| 42 in | Large | 41.9 × 29.5 × 30.3 | 70–90 lb | Larger than needed |
| 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. A Border Terrier that measures more than 22 in nose to tail base is long for the 24 in and should go up a size regardless of weight.
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 Border Terrier puppy reaches 15.5 lb at maturity. 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 Border Terrier puppy feeding chart shows the growth stages the divider will follow.
Bed size for a Border Terrier
Using Orvis's rectangle-bed fit guide, a 15.5 lb Border Terrier takes 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 Border Terrier compares
By mid-range adult weight, the Border Terrier ranks 27 of 132 breeds on this site, with 105 heavier and 26 lighter — a small breed in the size classes used here. In the AKC's 2024 registration ranking the Border Terrier stood at number 98. The standard separates the sexes: females top out around 2 lb lighter at 11.5–14 lb and stand 11–14 in, which is why a female often fits the smaller of two candidate crates.
Breeds of similar weight, whose crate answer is the same or one size off: Cairn Terrier (about 14 lb), Toy Fox Terrier (8–20 lb), Lhasa Apso (13–15 lb), Pekingese (up to 14 lb), Miniature Schnauzer (9–18 lb).
Adult height from Wikipedia breed infobox/body; adult weight from AKC breed standard (PDF); both checked 2026-10-21. The AKC standard states the weight but not the height, so the height here is from Wikipedia breed infobox/body. 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.