Whippet and puppy crates for small living rooms

Two dogs, two crates, one small living room — that's a real space puzzle, especially with a new puppy arriving alongside an adult Whippet. Crate size is the most important factor here: too small causes distress, too large removes the den-like feeling that makes crates actually work. Material matters too — wire crates fold flat and stack when not in use, which can be a lifesaver in a tight room, while plastic travel crates take up a fixed footprint. Before I suggest anything specific, can you tell me roughly how much your Whippet weighs and how big the puppy is expected to get as an adult? Also, is this purely for home use, or will either crate need to travel?

Perfect — that actually makes this quite manageable. A 12kg Whippet needs a 36-inch crate, and a Cockapoo under 10kg will be comfortable in a 24-inch crate once fully grown. The good news is those two sizes stack reasonably well if you go with folding wire crates, which is exactly what I'd suggest for a small living room. Wire crates fold flat if you need your space back, and you can cover them with a blanket to give each dog that darker, den-like feel — Whippets especially respond well to that. For the puppy's crate, make sure it comes with a divider panel so you can start small and expand it as she grows, rather than buying a crate that's too roomy now and undermines the training.

I'd go with the MidWest Homes for Pets iCrate range — it's available on Amazon UK in both the sizes you need. Get the 36-inch single-door iCrate for your Whippet and the 24-inch single-door iCrate for the Cockapoo puppy. The puppy crate comes with a divider panel as standard, which is exactly what you want for crate training from scratch — you set it so she only has enough room to stand, turn, and lie down, then move the divider back as she grows. Both crates fold completely flat and use the same folding mechanism, so if you ever need to reclaim the floor space they're easy to store. They're not the cheapest crates on the market, but they're genuinely well-made, the latches are solid, and Whippets can be surprisingly determined escape artists when anxious.

Keep them apart initially — at least for the first week or two. The puppy needs to learn that her crate is her own calm space, and having the Whippet right next to her can create excitement or anxiety that works against the training. Once the puppy is settling happily and voluntarily going in, you can move them closer together. At that point proximity to the older dog often becomes reassuring rather than distracting. Just watch your Whippet's body language in the early days — some adults take a new puppy in their stride, others find the chaos stressful, and having their crate as a clear retreat helps them cope too.