Crate training a Corgi for long commute days

A three-hour daily commute with a two-year-old Corgi at home is a real juggling act — and crate training works best here when the crate becomes a genuinely positive space rather than a holding pen. The right crate size and type matters more than most people realise, as does how you introduce or reintroduce it. Corgis are smart, active, and prone to boredom, so the setup needs to account for that. To give you the most useful advice: are you starting from scratch with the crate, or is there already a bad association to work through? And is this purely for home use while you're out, or does it need to double up for travel too?

That's actually a good starting position — no real trauma, just an untrained association. The whining when the door closes tells me she sees it as confinement rather than a den, which is fixable with the right approach. Before I suggest anything specific, a couple of quick things: how long is she actually alone each day when you factor in the full commute and working hours? And does she have access to a dog walker, neighbour, or doggy daycare on any days, or is it purely her alone for the stretch?

Seven hours is at the outer limit of what's reasonable for a healthy adult Corgi, and I'd strongly encourage you to get a dog walker in for a midday break on those longer days — that's not a crate question, it's just a welfare one, and it'll make the crate training far easier because she won't be associating the crate with an endlessly long stretch. With that covered, here's my recommendation for the crate itself: the MidWest Homes for Pets Ovation double-door dog crate. For a Corgi — typically 25–30cm tall and stout — the 30-inch size is the right fit: enough room to stand, turn, and lie stretched out without being so large that it stops feeling like a den. The Ovation has a full front opening door as well as the standard side door, which makes it much easier to use a crate as a relaxed hangout spot with the door open during the day before you ever start closing it. It's sturdy, folds flat for storage, and has a divider panel you won't need now but is useful to know is there. The double-door design is genuinely practical for placement in a corner or against a wall. Build the positive association first — meals in the crate, a good Kong or licki mat with the door open — before you ever ask her to settle with it closed. You're probably two to three weeks away from a dog that chooses to go in there.

Not overkill at all — a cover makes a meaningful difference for a dog that's learned the crate is a den rather than just a cage. It reduces visual stimulation and creates that enclosed, cave-like feeling Corgis actually tend to respond well to. A fitted cover designed for the MidWest range is the tidiest option; MidWest make their own that fits the Ovation properly. For bedding, something washable and relatively flat works better than a thick plush bed at first — she may rearrange or bunch things up while she's getting used to it, and a simple washable mat is easier to manage. Once she's settled, upgrade to something more comfortable. The Kong Classic stuffed with a bit of cream cheese or peanut butter and frozen the night before is going to be your single best tool on those longer days.

Good plan. Get the crate in the room a week or so before you start any formal training — just let her sniff around it, toss treats in with the door open, feed her in it. The less of a big deal you make of it, the faster she'll decide it's hers. With a midday break and a proper introduction, a two-year-old Corgi in good health can absolutely be comfortable and calm in a crate for a four-hour stretch. You're in a much better position than you think.