Best crate for a Weimaraner puppy still chewing

An 8-month-old Weimaraner is in a tricky in-between stage — big enough to need adult sizing but still in full destructive-puppy mode, so you need something that won't buckle under serious chewing and can also adapt as they finish growing. Crate size is the single most important factor here: too small causes distress, too large removes the den-like security that actually makes crating work. Material matters just as much for a chewer — wire is generally your best bet over plastic or fabric at this age. To point you in the right direction: is the crate mainly for home use, travel, or both?

That's helpful. And how big is he now — do you know his current weight, and roughly how big is he expected to be fully grown? Weimaraners typically land between 25 and 40 kg at adulthood, but it's worth confirming so we get the sizing right from the start rather than needing to replace the crate in six months.

Perfect — that tells us exactly what we need. At 35 kg and leggy, he'll need a 42-inch crate as a minimum to stand, turn, and lie comfortably as an adult. My recommendation is the MidWest iCrate 42-inch double-door wire crate. It comes with a divider panel, which is the key feature for crate training from scratch — you start with a smaller partitioned space so it feels den-like and he's less likely to toilet in one corner, then slide the divider back as he grows and earns more room. The double-door setup gives you flexible placement at home. The heavy-gauge wire handles persistent chewing far better than plastic, and the fold-flat design means it's not a permanent fixture in your living room. It's genuinely the crate I'd suggest for this exact situation — a large-breed puppy you're training from zero who needs the crate to still be the right size in a year.

It's a fair concern with Weimaraners. He's unlikely to compromise the structure of a proper wire crate, but persistent chewing on the bars can wear down enamel and occasionally cause gum injuries, so it's worth addressing the behaviour alongside the crate choice. Make sure he goes in with a filled Kong or a chew toy he's genuinely interested in — boredom is usually the trigger. If he's consistently throwing himself at the bars or chewing manically, that's a sign the sessions are too long for where he is in training, not a sign you need a heavier crate. The MidWest handles normal stress and investigative chewing without any issue.

Forty-two inches is the right call — going to 48 inches for a 35 kg dog would actually work against you, especially during training. The crate should be just big enough for him to stand without hunching, turn around, and lie stretched out. That's it. A bigger space feels less secure to a dog and makes accidents during training far more likely because he can simply move away from where he sleeps. Stick with the 42-inch and use the divider properly in the early weeks — that combination is what makes crate training click.