It is important to understand the main differences between a dog crate and a kennel in order to make a purchase that will offer you the best value for your buck based on your specific requirements. To make your life easier, we have divided the differences up based on 3 key features so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Without further ado, here are the main differences between a crate and a kennel.
The Build
Kennels, which are also known as doghouses or dog sheds, are built to resemble small houses and may even have the slanted roof design. They are usually completely closed off and may have a door or simply an open entryway.
Crates on the other hand often have a cuboid shape offering full restriction from all sides. They also tend to have grills or meshes on one or more walls offering visibility and aeration.
Materials Used
Dog kennels are built to last very long in outdoor spaces. As a result, the materials used are very strong and include wood or stone. These are meant to offer protection for the pooch from exposure to the elements and the doghouse itself from deteriorating from the same exposure.
With crates, there is a wide variety of material options with metal and plastic being among the most popular selections for hard crate designs. You could also get one made from cloth material. These are known as soft crates and offer the benefit of collapsibility for convenient storage.
Purpose
Doghouses are permanent structures and are meant to offer shelter for dogs trained to sleep outside. They may also be used to keep dogs in places like shelters. Finally, their permanent and stable nature makes them ideal for keeping guard dogs restrained when they are not performing their duties.
Crates on the other hand are more often than not used to transport the pooch which is made possible by their portable design. There are some dog crates that focus more on safety than portability, like the Variocage that is made of heavy duty steel frame to stake its claim as the only crash test certified dog crate in the market. It is of course