Best crate for 8-week-old Chihuahua puppy

You're right to be cautious — a standard puppy crate is almost certainly too large for a Chihuahua at 8 weeks. Crate size is the single most important factor: too big and the crate loses its den-like quality, which is exactly what makes it feel safe and supports toilet training. The sweet spot for a tiny breed is a crate your pup can stand up, turn around, and lie down in comfortably — nothing more. Is this mainly for home use, travel, or both, and are you starting crate training from scratch with this pup?

Perfect — that's really helpful. At 1.2kg now and a likely adult weight of around 2kg, she's going to stay genuinely tiny. For a home crate you want something she feels cocooned in rather than lost in, and because she'll barely grow, you don't need to worry much about buying for future size. Wire crates are my preference for home training — good airflow, she can see what's happening around her, and you can drape a blanket over three sides to increase that den feeling when she needs to settle. Can I ask — do you have any concerns about her chewing or being destructive, or is she pretty calm at the moment?

In that case I'd go with the Savic Dog Residence 61cm wire crate. It sounds counterintuitive to suggest the 61cm when you're worried about size, but Savic's Dog Residence comes with a divider panel — so you set it to roughly 45cm for her now, which is genuinely snug for a Chihuahua puppy, and you simply remove the divider if you ever need a touch more room. The wire gauge is sturdy without being heavy, the door latches are secure, and it folds flat if you need to store it. Tuck a small fleece pad and a worn T-shirt in there for the first few nights and she'll settle quickly. Avoid the smaller fabric pop-up crates for overnight — they're fine for travel but the zips aren't secure enough to feel reliable for an unsupervised pup.

For the first couple of weeks, keep it in your bedroom at night — she's just left her littermates and the proximity to you makes an enormous difference to how quickly she accepts the crate. During the day, put it somewhere with low foot traffic but not isolated, like a corner of the living room. Cover the back and sides with a blanket to make it feel more enclosed. Once she's reliably sleeping through the night without distress, you can gradually move it to wherever suits you long-term.