Dog Crates That Look Like Furniture

Crates take up a lot of space in your home and there's no way to hide them without covering them up, trying to stash them in a corner or placing them in a spare room. This isn't desirable because your pup's crate should be placed where you spend most of your time so that your pup doesn't feel isolated and alone, recommends the Canine College of California. Furniture-like crates provide the solution to this issue. Not only can you use such an item as a crate for your pooch, but it can function as a stylish coffee table, side table or nightstand that you can place in your living space.

Furniture-like crates come in a variety of styles and materials, each of which can blend into your existing aesthetic. Traditional-style wood crates come in square shapes that have decorative cutouts, metal grates or wood panels along the sides to provide Fido with sufficient ventilation. You can get these items in both light and dark stains to match your home's existing furniture. Designer crates made from other materials like Fiberglas, powder-coated steel, aluminum or wicker come in many colors, shapes and finishes to match more modern decor schemes. Some of these pieces have doors that you can latch closed in the front, while others have doors that slide along the sides, offering your pooch easy access to his hideaway.

Whether you get a large crate that you can use as a coffee table or a smaller one that you can use as a side table depends on how large your pooch is. The crate needs to be big enough so that Fido can stand upright, turn around and lie down comfortably, recommends the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Don't purchase a crate that's too large for your pup because he'll be tempted to eliminate in it. If you're handy and can't find the right size or style of crate for Fido, consider making one yourself or even transforming an existing piece of furniture, such as a storage chest, into an attractive crate for your pooch.

While furniture-like crates are appropriate for most pups, if your canine companion tends to chew, scratch or eliminate in his crate, they might not be the best choice for him. Not only will he harm himself, but he'll destroy a piece of furniture that can run anywhere from $250 to $600, according to Apartment Therapy. To prevent such issues, start by giving Fido an inexpensive plastic kennel to crate train him, noting how he behaves in it before choosing a permanent furniture piece for him. As an alternative, you can purchase a furniture-like cover to house your existing kennel so that you can remove the inexpensive kennel regularly for easy cleaning and maintenance.