7 Creative and Clever Ways To Hide A Dog Crate

Although your dog loves spending time chilling out in his crate, your pet’s den isn’t going to be the most attractive item to have in your home.

But how can you keep Fido’s crate out of sight? Could your dog’s crate become an attractive centerpiece in your living room? And how can you construct a table to hide a crate?

Read this guide to discover seven creative and clever ways to hide a dog crate. 

Crucial Considerations When Hiding Your Dog’s Crate

Before we go further, you should know that there are several crucial considerations to bear in mind when it comes to choosing a good place to hide your dog’s crate.

Beware Extremes Of Temperature

Dogs can easily become dehydrated or suffer from heatstroke if they get too hot.

For that reason, don’t put your dog’s crate under a window where it might be exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid areas next to radiators and open fires where your pet could easily overheat on get burned if a stray spark spits out of the fire and lands on your canine companion’s fur.

Whereas you don’t want your dog to overheat, you don’t want him to get cold either. So, avoid areas next to open windows, air vents, and air conditioning units.

Avoid Heavy Footfall Areas

Your dog’s crate should be a place where your pet can chill out and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. So, avoid hiding the crate in an alcove next t  a busy walkway, where your dog will be disturbed by masses of people tramping past. 

Dogs and puppies that are still being crate trained can assume that anyone passing by is coming to let them out. If that doesn’t happen, the dog can quickly become frustrated. Frustration leads to bad behaviors, such as whining, incessant barking, and constant escape attempts.

Steer Clear Of Poisonous Plants

Although you can transform a dog crate into a handy side table by installing a simple table topper, we recommend that you don’t put houseplants on top of the crate.

Why not? Many species of popular houseplants are highly toxic to dogs and cats. 

Some dogs, especially puppies, will chew any plants within reach. Munching on a poisonous houseplant could make your dog seriously sick and destroy your room’s aesthetics into the bargain!

Too Much Of A Good Thing?

Although most dogs want to be right in the thick of family life, if you put your dog’s crate right in the center of the room, he might not appreciate that. 

Also, media consoles and TV tables might not be the best idea for disguising your dog’s crate, as your pet might not enjoy the noise of loud music, high-speed car chases, or the scary parts of “Stranger Things” while he’s trying to sleep!

Don’t Isolate Your Dog!

Although you want your dog’s crate to be hidden, you don’t want your furry friend to be so isolated that he feels lonely and stressed.

Avoid Power Cords

If your dog is a  hewer, be careful that you don’t hide his crate where your pet can get hold of power cords.

Not only is it incredibly annoying to find that your pup has chewed through your cellphone charging cable, but your dog could be seriously injured if he nibbles on a live wire.

Position Your Dog Crate Discreetly 

Many dogs appreciate a quiet, dark space where they can retreat in times of stress or when Fido needs a nap after an exciting trip to the dog park. So, it’s a good idea to hide your dog’s crate in a discrete area of your home. That way, you don’t have to look at an ugly crate, and your dog gets to enjoy the peace he craves.

Do you have a quiet alcove somewhere in your home, a tucked-away corner in your living room, or a space under a desk in your home office? Those areas could be the perfect place to hide your dog’s crate. 

Keep your dog’s crate away from busy footfall areas of your home, such as landings and hallways. That helps your crate blend more seamlessly into your home and can work well for you and your dog.

Dog Crate Furniture

Before you grab your DIY kit or sewing machine and start going the DIY route, you should know that you can buy ready-made dog crate furniture!

Usually, dog crate furniture takes the form of end tables, side tables, and media consoles. The furniture is designed to work as both a dog crate and a comfortable den for your pet and can be used in a living room, home office, and bedroom.

That said, furniture crates look good and serve two purposes; making a cozy den for your pet and serving as a useful piece of furniture in your home.

Dog Crate Covers

Wire dog crates are extremely popular with many dog owners. Wire crates are relatively inexpensive to buy, fold flat for convenient storage and portability, can be used for transporting your dog in a vehicle, and are easy to clean.

However, a standard wire crate can be noisy and rattling whenever your dog moves around inside it. Metal crates are also ugly things that can be a real blot on the landscape if you have one in your kitchen or living area.

Fortunately, you can buy dog crate covers that fit neatly over the crate, helping to create that warm, dark, den ambiance your dog needs, deadening the noise, and disguising the crate. 

Seven Creative And Clever Ways To Hide A Dog Crate

So, you can see that dog crates don’t have to be ugly, cumbersome items that get in the way and spoil the look of your home.

If you don’t want to buy a piece of dog crate furniture or a crate cover, here are seven practical, affordable ways to hide your dog’s crate.

1. Make A Crate Cover

Although you can buy commercial crate covers to fit most brands of wire-type dog crates, the range of styles and colors can be limited. 

However, with a little know-how and effort, you can transform a humble dog crate cover into an impressive piece of art! All you need is some fabric and thread. You don’t even need to be an expert at needlework!

Check out this helpful Youtube video for a tutorial.

2. Create A Counter

A typical dog crate situation is to find a wire crate placed in a kitchen. That’s fine, but it doesn’t look great, especially if the kitchen is the center of your family home.

But you can hide your furry friend’s crate by transforming it into a simple counter. The crate is already a rectangle or square shape, so all you need to do is add a countertop.

Even better, why not integrate the dog crate into the kitchen counter so that it blends into the background as just another piece of furniture?

If you’re not about to remodel your kit hen, consider if you have a redundant dishwasher or some spare under-counter cupboard space where your dog’s crate will fit.

3. Decorate The Dog Crate

Although a dog crate is not the prettiest piece of furniture, rather than trying to hide the crate, you could transform it into a conversation piece that takes center stage in your room.

You could choose to decorate the crate so that it matches your room’s décor by encasing the crate with repurposed pallet slats or wood scraps secured with wood glue.

Add a wooden top to the crate where you can put plants or pictures. Remember to paint the top with a coat of wood varnish or gloss paint to protect the wood from dampness.

Now, you have an attractive dog crate that can be the focal point of a room instead of an ugly blemish.

4. Set Of Drawers

Sometimes, you have to get smart and think outside the box when designing a dog crate.

If you’re into DIY and woodwork, you could create an elaborate dog crate with drawers on either side of the dog kennel, on top, or in the middle with the crate to one side.

The design you come up with will depend to some extent on your dog’s size and the shape of your room. However, you can make a simple piece of functional furniture that looks like an expensive dog crate when it really isn’t!

5. Understair Dog Crate

If you have empty, unused space under your stairs, you could easily transform that area into the perfect spot for your dog’s crate.

That way, you’re maximizing your available space and ensuring that your canine companion is included in the center of your family. That’s an excellent solution for dogs suffering from separation anxiety, too.

You could use a single pie e of melamine or a solid piece of spare wood with an opening cut into the front to create a “wall” around the crate and transform the understairs area into a dedicated room for your dog’s crate.

6. Upgrade Your Dog’s Crate

Metal crates typically have a short lifespan, and you’ll most likely need to replace your crate every few years due to general wear and tear and rust.

So, if you want a crate that’s going to stand the test of time and last you a bit longer, it could be worth considering investing in a sturdier doggy house that will stand the test of time.

Take a look online or in your local pet store, and you’ll find plenty of bright ideas for wooden dog crate furniture. Many pieces are customizable so that you can make them fit perfectly in your home. 

Alternatively, you might want to invest in a simple crate topper. Crate toppers are basically wooden table tops that slot over your dog’s existing crate. A specially designed crate topper will be reinforced with tension rods and strong framing wood that prevents the crate’s metal bars from bowing. That means you can put more substantial items on top of the crate.

7. Integrate The Crate With Existing Furniture

Another simple, inexpensive idea for disguising and hiding your dog’s crate is to integrate the crate with your existing furniture. For example, you might be able to store the crate underneath a desk in your home office.

Dogs love to sleep in their owner’s bedroom, especially if your pup gets stressed when you’re not around. But you don’t want a nasty, rattling crate in the room that you might trip over every time you get out of bed! So, if you have an unused built-in wardrobe, your dog’s crate could fit inside it.

At night, keep the wardrobe doors open, so your dog has plenty of ventilation and doesn’t overheat. If you don’t want the crate in view during the daytime, close the doors.

By integrating your dog’s crate into existing spaces in your home, you’re helping to blend the crate in aesthetically, as well as freeing up valuable floor space. You’ll also remove the temptation for your family to use the top of the crate as a storage area for miscellaneous piles of junk!

Final Thoughts

Did you enjoy our ideas on how to disguise your dog’s crate? If you took some inspiration from this guide, please take a moment to share it.

Dog crates don’t need to be ugly, space-consuming objects that make your home look untidy. With a little creativity and basic DIY skills, your pet’s den can be transformed into an attractive piece of functional furniture! Alternatively, if you have the scope in your budget, why not upgrade your pup’s existing crate to something that complements your house design. 

How did you conceal your pup’s hideaway? Tell us all about your brilliant idea in the comments box below!