Best crate for Bernese Mountain Dog puppy car travel

A 10-week-old Bernese Mountain Dog heading to their first training class — that's an exciting milestone, and getting the crate right now actually sets the tone for how they feel about travel for life. Travel crates have very different requirements depending on whether you're in a car, in a plane cabin, or in the hold, and airline rules vary enormously — getting that wrong can mean your dog simply can't board. For a car journey, the priorities are crash-test security, appropriate sizing, and keeping a young pup feeling snug rather than lost in a big space. Can you tell me roughly how big your puppy is right now, and do you know how large they'll be once fully grown? That'll help me point you to the right size and whether a divider panel will be useful.

That's exactly the right instinct. A puppy that size in an oversized crate will feel insecure and is more likely to be thrown around if you brake sharply. What you need is a crate with a divider panel — so you can start with a snug puppy-sized space and expand it as he grows, rather than buying two separate crates. For short car journeys at this age, comfort and containment are the main goals. Is the crate going in the boot of a car, on the back seat, or somewhere else? And do you have a way to secure it — like a boot lip or cargo barrier?

Good — a covered crate in the boot is a solid setup for a young puppy. The dark, den-like environment really does help them settle. For your situation I'd recommend the MidWest iCrate in the 36-inch size. It comes with a divider panel, so right now you set it to give him roughly a third of the space — enough to lie down and turn around, but cosy enough that he feels secure. As he grows through adolescence and into adulthood, you remove the divider in stages. The folding metal construction is sturdy enough to prevent him bouncing around, and it packs flat when you're not using it. At his eventual adult size a 48-inch would be the final destination, but the 36-inch gets you through the first year comfortably and is manageable in a hatchback boot. Pair it with a non-slip mat on the boot floor so the crate doesn't slide, and you're well set.

It's a fair question and the honest answer is nuanced. Fully crash-tested crates — like those from Gunner or Ruff Land — are significantly safer in a serious impact, but they're also £300–600 and mostly designed for large adult dogs. For a 5kg puppy on 20-minute local trips, the MidWest iCrate is a proportionate choice: it will contain him during normal driving and moderate braking, and at his current weight the forces involved in a typical stop are manageable. The bigger risk at this age is actually an unsecured crate becoming a projectile, which is why putting it snugly in the boot against the back seats — and using your cargo net to stop it moving forward — matters more than the crate material itself. If you're planning longer motorway journeys once he's bigger, that's the point to revisit the crash-test question seriously.

Great choice for where you are right now. One small tip: before the first journey, leave the crate open at home for a few days with his blanket inside so he associates it with somewhere safe rather than somewhere unfamiliar. First impressions with crates really do stick. Good luck at puppy class — Berners are wonderful learners at that age.