Crate size by breed / Sporting group
Sporting group · large breed
Flat-Coated Retriever crate size
An adult Flat-Coated Retriever weighs 60–80 lb, which straddles two of the manufacturer's bands: 36 in for a dog up to 70 lb and 42 in above that. Measure your dog's length before choosing.
- 1Shoulder 23–24½ in
- 2Crate 42 in · 41.9 × 30.3 in inside
- 3Adult weight 60–80 lb
- 4Bed Large 43 × 29 in
Which crate for a Flat-Coated Retriever
The chart below is MidWest's iCrate sizing, the most common wire crate in US pet stores, with the Flat-Coated Retriever'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 | Flat-Coated Retriever |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Too small |
| 36 in | Intermediate | 36.6 × 21.9 × 24.5 | 41–70 lb | Fits the 60–80 lb range |
| 42 in | Large | 41.9 × 29.5 × 30.3 | 70–90 lb | Fits the 60–80 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 Flat-Coated Retriever this is the measurement that settles the 36 in-or-42 in question: a dog measuring 35 in or less fits the 36 in; longer than that needs the 42 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 Flat-Coated Retriever puppy reaches 80 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 Flat-Coated Retriever puppy feeding chart shows the growth stages the divider will follow.
Bed size for a Flat-Coated Retriever
Using Orvis's rectangle-bed fit guide, a 80 lb Flat-Coated Retriever takes the Large (43 × 29 in), while a dog at the 60 lb end of the range fits the Medium (36 × 24 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 Flat-Coated Retriever compares
By mid-range adult weight, the Flat-Coated Retriever ranks 102 of 132 breeds on this site, with 30 heavier and 101 lighter — a large breed in the size classes used here. In the AKC's 2024 registration ranking the Flat-Coated Retriever stood at number 97. The standard separates the sexes: females top out around 5 lb lighter at 55–75 lb and stand 22–23½ 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: Golden Retriever (65–75 lb), Irish Setter (about 70 lb), Labrador Retriever (65–80 lb), Boxer (50–85 lb), Collie (60–75 lb).
Adult height from AKC breed standard (PDF); adult weight from Wikipedia breed infobox/body; both checked 2026-10-21. The AKC standard states the height but not the weight, so the weight 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.