Best closed crate for a Cockapoo after fireworks

Switching to a more enclosed crate after firework season is a smart move — you've noticed your Cockapoo needs that den feeling to feel secure, and an open wire crate just doesn't provide it. Before I point you to the right option, a couple of quick things: roughly how much does your Cockapoo weigh, and when they were in the open crate during fireworks, were they trying to hide inside it or were they avoiding it altogether?

That tells me the crate itself felt safe enough — she just needed the sides blocked off so she couldn't see all the light flashes and movement around her. That's a really easy problem to solve with the right crate. Is this purely for home use, or do you also travel with her — car trips, holidays, that kind of thing?

Perfect — in that case a hard-sided plastic travel crate is exactly what you want. It doubles as a proper enclosed den at home and goes straight in the car or into a holiday cottage without you needing two different crates. For a 9kg Cockapoo, the size you need is a medium — roughly 61cm long internally — so she can stand, turn, and lie stretched out, but it still feels snug and enclosed rather than rattling around in empty space.

Yes — go for the Petmate Sky Kennel in the medium size (24 inch). It's a well-built hard plastic shell with a steel wire door, proper ventilation on all four sides, and it's IATA-approved for airline travel if you ever need that. The solid walls are exactly what blocks out visual chaos during fireworks or car journeys, and it's robust enough to last years. It typically sits between £40–£55 on Amazon UK depending on when you look, which is solid value for something that works both at home and in the car. One tip: put her existing bedding and a worn t-shirt inside from day one — she'll already associate the smell with safety, so the transition from the open crate should be quick.

Because she's already comfortable with crates and went into the open one voluntarily during fireworks, you can move fairly quickly. Put the new crate in the same spot as the old one, leave the door open with her bedding inside for a day or two, feed her meals near it and then inside it, and within a week most dogs are settled. You don't need a lengthy retraining programme — she already understands the concept, you're just upgrading the hardware.