Affordable crate for rescue Lurcher training

Travel crates have very specific requirements depending on whether your dog is going by car, in a plane cabin, or in the hold — and airline regulations vary so much that the wrong crate can mean your dog simply can't board. Before we get into that, though, it sounds like you're starting from scratch with a rescue dog who may never have been in a crate before, which changes what we're looking for. Can you tell me roughly how big your Lurcher is — height at the shoulder and approximate weight — and is this primarily for car travel to begin with, or do you have a flight coming up?

That's a sensible approach — getting her comfortable with a crate at home and in the car before worrying about anything else is exactly right for a dog with an unknown history. At 27 inches tall and 28kg, she's a classic large Lurcher build: long-legged and deep-chested, so she needs more headroom than her weight alone would suggest. You're looking at an XXL crate — typically 48 inches — so she can stand, turn, and settle without feeling cramped. Can I ask: does she seem anxious generally, or does she appear fairly settled in your home so far?

That's a good sign — a dog who investigates at her own pace and then accepts things is going to crate train reasonably well with patience. For a 28kg Lurcher on a tight budget, I'd recommend the Ellie-Bo Deluxe Folding Dog Crate in the 48-inch size. It's a well-made, double-door folding metal crate that folds flat for storage or transport, which matters when you're using it in the car. It comes in under £45 on Amazon UK, fits your size requirement comfortably, and the double-door design is genuinely useful for crate training because you can position it in a corner and open either end depending on the room layout. The tray is easy to clean and the door latches are solid — some budget crates have flimsy latches that a determined dog can nudge open, but this one holds well. It won't pass airline hold requirements, but that's not what you need right now. Start with the crate in a quiet corner at home with the door open and a blanket inside before you ever ask her to travel in it.

Yes — in the car the crate needs to be secured so it can't shift in a sudden stop. In an estate or large SUV you can wedge it against the back seats and use a cargo net or boot barrier to hold it in place. Avoid leaving the crate loose in a hatchback boot with nothing anchoring it. A folded blanket underneath stops it sliding on a smooth boot floor. Don't fasten her inside the crate with a collar attachment — if she panics she can injure her neck. Just let the crate itself contain her. For the first few car trips, keep them very short — even just five minutes — so she builds a positive association before you're asking her to travel any distance.

Good choice. Take your time with the introduction — a week of open-door familiarity at home before you close her in, and then short car trips before long ones. Lurchers tend to be quite sensible once they've decided something is safe, so she'll likely surprise you with how quickly she settles once the crate feels like hers.