The Best Dog Crate for a Basset Hound (2026 Guide)

Written by the team at Impact Dog Crates. We build dog crates for a living, which means our days are spent around trainers, breeders, working dogs and anxious rescues. Learn more about us here.

If you’ve ever lived with a Basset Hound, you know the shape of the day: a slow, rolling walk that stops dead the moment his nose finds something, a soulful look that has talked you out of more treats than you’ll admit, and a voice that can fill a whole street when the mood strikes. He’s low to the ground, long in the body, and heavy for his height, and that combination is the whole crate-shopping puzzle. The crate has to be long enough for all of him, soft enough for a back and joints that carry a lot, and solid enough that a dog who follows his nose and his feelings can’t lean his way out. Here’s how we think about size, what actually holds up, and the Basset-specific things worth planning around.

How Big of a Crate Does a Basset Hound Need?

For most adults, the 34” (Intermediate), and step up to the 40” (Large) for a longer dog. A Basset Hound is a length-and-weight question, not a height question: most adults run somewhere around 40 to 65 pounds, but they stand low, so the number that decides the crate is how far he stretches from nose to the base of his tail. Impact’s product pages don’t name Basset Hounds at any size, so we’d rather say that plainly than pretend a chart makes the call for you. On the High Anxiety Crate page, the 34” is listed for dogs 30 lbs and up and the 40” for dogs 45 lbs and up, and a Basset’s weight lands him in that range. His length picks the size.

Your own dog beats any breed label, so measure him from the floor to the top of his shoulders and from his nose to the base of his tail, then add 2 to 4 inches to the length and a few to the height so the crate feels like a den instead of a tight squeeze. Because a Basset’s legs are short, a dog who looks small can still measure long, so don’t go by how tall he stands. Our guide to measuring your dog for a crate walks through it step by step.

The 34” and the 40” share the same 23” width and 29” height, so the only thing you’re choosing between them is length. We’d skip the 40”+ and the 48” for a Basset unless your measurements say otherwise: they add a lot of width and height that a low dog can’t use, and all that spare floor works against a snug, den-like feel. If your dog is somewhere between two sizes, send our team his measurements and habits before you order, and they’ll help you land on the right one.

Impact’s Collapsible Dog Crate in white, shown front on.

Wire, Plastic, Soft-Sided, or Aluminum: What Actually Holds Up for a Basset Hound?

A Basset Hound isn’t a leaper, so wire can look like enough. The weak point is the combination of heavy bones, a low center of gravity, and a nose that keeps working at one corner until something gives.

Plenty of Bassets are mellow enough that a crate is never an argument. But the hounds who do test it, test it hard. In our reviews, an owner of a lab/basset hound mix says the dog “got out even after I used zip ties and carabiners to secure it” on a wire crate, then “ripped the door off his plastic crate.” Another hound owner says their 45 lb dog “chewed 3 plastic ones and a metal to escape.” Neither is a bad dog. They are scent hounds with big feelings in crates that weren’t built for them.

That’s the gap the Collapsible Dog Crate and the Stationary Dog Crate close with aluminum panel construction, and where the High Anxiety Crate goes further for the hound who panics or has already beaten a standard crate. It’s a real jump in price over a wire crate. It’s also a crate you buy once, instead of a series of crates you replace.

The door and latch hardware on Impact’s Collapsible Dog Crate.

Why Does a Basset Hound Bay and Fuss When You Leave Him Alone?

Because he’s a scent hound, and scent hounds were built to work in company and to use their voices. A Basset who is bonded to his family can take your leaving personally, and what comes out isn’t a polite bark. It’s a long, carrying bay that he fully believes is useful. That isn’t him being difficult. It’s a social dog with a big voice and nobody to talk to.

The hounds in our reviews describe it plainly. One owner wrote that their rescue hound mix is safe even though “he still barks, but she has peace of mind that he’s safe,” and that’s a realistic goal: a crate won’t turn a hound into a silent dog, but it can keep him from hurting himself or the house while he works through his feelings. Exercise and a good sniff walk before you leave do more for the volume than anything else. If the bay turns into real distress, our guide on how to reduce stress for anxious dogs is a good companion to the crate, and a call to your vet or a certified behaviorist is the right next step if he’s hurting himself to get out.

Are Basset Hounds Easy to Crate Train?

Usually, with patience and a pocket full of treats. The AKC calls the Basset Hound a “low-slung and low-key hound” that “can be sometimes stubborn, but is always charming,” which is a fair summary of the training experience: he’s not trying to defy you, he just has his own agenda and it usually involves his nose. The good news is that most Bassets are very food-motivated, so a crate that pays well wins him over. The challenge is that a heavy dog who has decided against something can’t be lifted or nudged into it, so the training has to make walking in his idea.

A Basset Hound settled on the rug beside the crate.

What Should You Plan Around With a Basset Hound’s Back, Nose, and Appetite?

Three practical things are worth building into the setup: his long back and joints, his nose, and his waistline.

Back and joints. A Basset is long, low, and heavy-boned, so talk to your vet about how to protect his back and joints, including whether he should be jumping on and off furniture or climbing stairs. Give him a thick, supportive mat to lie on, since a heavy dog spends a lot of time getting up and down on a crate floor. If you ever have to lift him, support his chest and his hindquarters together rather than hoisting him by the front, and ask your vet to show you how.

Nose and voice. A Basset’s nose is always working, and so is his bay. Put the crate in a spot where he can see and smell his family but isn’t looking straight at the front door, a window with squirrels, or the kitchen, where every scent is a reason to speak up. Our crate placement hacks can help you find the right corner.

Appetite and weight. The same food motivation that makes training easy can make weight creep up, and extra pounds are hard on a long back and short legs. Count training treats as part of his daily food, use his regular kibble as the reward where you can, and ask your vet what a healthy weight looks like for your dog.

Should You Buy the Adult-Size Crate for a Basset Hound Puppy?

Yes. A Basset puppy is mostly paws and ears, but he grows into a long, heavy dog, so a puppy-sized crate is a purchase you’d make twice. Buy for the adult and make the space cozy while he’s small. Impact also makes a Puppy Divider that adjusts as a pup grows and works with all Impact crate models, so the adult crate doesn’t feel like an empty room to a small puppy. Keep early crate time short, and check with your vet about what’s right for a growing puppy’s joints.

How to Crate Train a Basset Hound, Step by Step

The fundamentals are the same for every breed, and our walkthrough on what crate training involves covers them in detail. With a Basset the difference is mostly about using his appetite, protecting his body, and keeping the volume down.

1. Set the crate up where your family already spends time, with the door propped open and a thick mat inside. Let him investigate on his own schedule. A Basset who walks in because something smells good is a Basset you never have to talk into it.
2. Feed meals in the crate and drop a few treats toward the back. Reward the walk in, not the stay. Lure him with food instead of pushing him or lifting him in.
3. Close the door for a few seconds while you’re sitting right there. Build up from seconds to minutes before you leave the room, and keep goodbyes and hellos boring so leaving doesn’t feel like an event.
4. Take him for a sniff walk first. A tired hound whose nose has had a workout settles faster and bays less. Our guide to how long a dog can stay in a crate has age-by-age guidelines for puppies and adults.
5. Use a camera for the first several real departures. You want to see whether he settles, not assume it from the other room, and you’ll learn quickly whether that bay is a few minutes of complaining or the real thing.
6. If you see real panic, such as torn-up paws, soaked bedding, or a dog hurting himself to get out, call your vet or a certified behaviorist. A crate is a safe place to be while you work on that, not a cure for it.

Which Impact Crate Is Right for a Basset Hound?

It comes down to what your dog actually does. A Basset with separation anxiety, or one who has already beaten a crate, belongs in the High Anxiety Crate, which is purpose-built for that and backed by a Lifetime Dog Damage Guarantee. A settled Basset who needs a permanent, secure spot at home does well in the Stationary Dog Crate. And the Collapsible Dog Crate is the one to look at if the crate has to travel with you or fold down between uses, with the same aluminum panel construction. All three come in the 34” and 40” sizes most Bassets will need.

A Basset Hound’s Crate Needs Length for the Dog, a Soft Floor for His Back, and a Door That Doesn’t Give

A Basset Hound is a gentle, stubborn, big-hearted dog who carries a lot of weight on a low frame and has opinions he’s happy to share at volume. The crate for him has to be right on all of it: long enough that he can stretch out, padded enough for his back and joints, and solid enough that a lean, a push, or a long afternoon alone never turns into a failure. Measure your dog, start at the 34”, step up to the 40” if he’s long, and plan for the nose and the waistline. Think of it as something you buy once for a dog who will spend a lot of time in it.

What Other Dog Owners Are Saying

Frequently Asked Questions

How big of a crate does a Basset Hound need?
Most adults do well in the 34” (34.5”L x 23”W x 29”H), with the 40” (40.5”L x 23”W x 29”H) for a longer dog. Impact’s product pages don’t name Basset Hounds, so measure your dog from nose to base of tail, add 2 to 4 inches, and size by that.

What kind of crate material holds up for a Basset Hound?
Aluminum panel construction. Wire flexes under a heavy dog’s sustained leaning and pushing, and plastic and soft-sided crates aren’t made to withstand a determined hound.

Will my Basset Hound bay in the crate?
Some will, especially when they’re new to it or left alone. A sniff walk before crate time, a spot where he can be near the family, and gradual practice with short absences all help. If he’s distressed or hurting himself, talk to your vet or a certified behaviorist.

Are Basset Hounds easy to crate train?
Usually yes, with patience. They can be stubborn, but most are very food-motivated, so reward-based training that lets him walk in on his own works well.

Should I buy the full-size crate for a Basset Hound puppy?
Generally yes. He will outgrow a puppy-sized crate, so buy for the adult and use bedding, or an Impact Puppy Divider, to make it cozy while he’s small.