Crate training an Irish Wolfhound

An Irish Wolfhound at eight months is already a substantial dog — and height is the dimension that catches most owners out, because the majority of crates are built for length and width, not for a breed that can stand at nearly a metre at the shoulder. Crate training works really well when the crate feels like a genuine retreat rather than a cage, but that's only possible if the dog can stand up, turn around, and lie flat without contorting. Before I point you anywhere specific: is your Wolfhound starting with crate training completely fresh, or has there been a previous bad experience with a crate? And is this primarily for overnight use at home, or do you also need it to work for travel?

Good — a clean start is the easiest situation to work with, and Fionnuala is at a great age for this. At 70cm now and still filling out, you're looking at a finished height of around 80–86cm for a female. That's the number that matters for the crate. Standard XXL crates top out at around 76cm internal height, which won't be enough. Can I ask roughly how much floor space you have available? Some of the truly tall options are also quite deep, and I want to make sure what I suggest is actually workable in your home.

Perfect — in that case I'd go straight for the Midwest Homes for Pets Ginormous Single Door Dog Crate. It's one of the very few wire crates on the market with a genuine 109cm internal height, which gives Fionnuala proper headroom even at full adult size. The floor dimensions are around 130cm x 89cm, so she'll have comfortable stretch-out space too. The single-piece slide-bolt door is secure enough that a determined Wolfhound won't nudge it open, and the gauge of the wire is noticeably heavier than standard large-breed crates — it won't flex or rattle the way cheaper XXL options do. It ships flat but assembles without tools in about ten minutes. For introduction, put it in the utility room a few days before you expect her to sleep in it, leave the door open, drop treats and her meals just inside the entrance, and let her investigate on her own terms. Don't close the door until she's walking in voluntarily. At eight months with no bad history, you can usually move to a closed door within a week.

Keep it simple at first. A flat, easy-to-wash veterinary bed or a folded duvet works well — avoid anything with stuffing she can pull out and swallow while you're not watching, which is a real risk at eight months. One item she already associates with you, like an old fleece, helps a lot in the first week. Don't add a water bowl inside overnight initially; it tends to get knocked over and then the wet bedding becomes an aversion. Once she's settled and reliable, you can add a slow feeder or a frozen Kong just before you close the door — that becomes the signal that crate time is actually a good thing. She'll get there quickly if you let her set the pace.

That's a solid plan. Give her a few days just to sniff around it before you ask anything of her, and you'll be in a good position by the time you want to close the door at night. Fionnuala sounds like she's going to take to it well — good luck with her.