What is a dog crate cover? It’s anything you place around a wire kennel to provide a little extra privacy. You could use just about anything (blankets, cardboard, etc..) but what fun is that?
In minutes we can create something stylish and convenient. You can even just use some fabric glue if you can’t sew (I’m part of that group).
Why Make Your Own?
Easy:
- It’s extremely cost effective – usually costing about $2 to $5 in fabric (compare that to store bought covers that start at $20)
- Most store bought solutions don’t have the exact size and dimensions you need.
- And you can customize the fabric to match your home or personality.
Crate Covers Serve an important purpose
Dog’s are naturally den animals. They feel secure within the closed and comfortable confines of a den. We want their den, or safe-zone, to be their crate or kennel. To achieve this we have to close off the sides and provide a little privacy.
Why Crate Train?
Crate training is an important part of raising a puppy. While they may be able to freely roam your home all day, there are some cases where they’ll have to remain in a kennel. Most often with travel, vet visits, or emergencies.
Believe it or not, a kennel can actually reduce anxiety, not incite it. But it does require some training and patience.
9 DIY Homemade Crate Covers
1. Snazzy No Sew Dog Crate Cover
If you were worried that I was going to make you sew something, then you should feel a little bit relieved. This is for all my no-sewers out there. And the end result still looks professional.
The no sew crate cover actually uses thermal heat bond stitching, so you’ll still need an iron. You can see the full instructions over at GoodBuyBelle.
2. DIY Dog Crate Cover Full Tutorial
Now we can break out the sewing machine. This one is a little more advanced, but the final result is exactly what we need.
As Cat describes while making this: you can find crate covers on Amazon but they start $20 and go up from there. Her cover cost? About $1.60 worth of fabric. And remember, you can customize the fabric to match your furniture or living room.
3. Fancy IKEA Crate
This one is a little different. Believe it or not that’s just an IKEA table placed over the kennel, with Lattice Panel stuck to the sides with magnets. Points for being extremely clever.
The end result is a high class crate that’s suitable for a queen. That being said, it doesn’t provide full coverage or privacy. In that case you may want to forego the lattice and cover it with something more solid.
4. Easy and Simple
Nothing too crazy here, just simple instructions for a simple cover. The example here demonstrates creating a cover for a small plastic kennel. They also use either sewing or glue (whatever you feel more comfortable with).
5. DIY Crate Cover From Blanket
Got an old blanket? Go some scissors? You got everything you need.
This project will literally take you 10 minutes to create. Not to mention it’s extremely budget friendly.
6. How to: Make a Framed Crate Cover
Making a large crate cover without a pattern sounds a bit daunting. You might also notice how nicely “framed” the front doorway is. Surprisingly, this is a fairly simple set of instructions, and requires just a bit of sewing technique.
Don’t have a sewing machine? Kim recommends using Stitch Witchery hemming tape as a shortcut. You can read her full instructions here.
7. For Extra Large Cages
Okay so this is cheating a bit. This was actually designed for a bunny with an extra large cage. But I think this certainly applies to anyone with extra large dog. Liz takes you step-by-step in designing a cover that is absolutely massive.
8. Stylish and Quilted
RoyRoy is a minature Doxen that requires the finer things in life. So his mom created this cozy space to call his own. She used a doubled sided pre-quilted fabric with a nice pattern, and developed this stylish solution, along with a comfy bumper on the inside.
It’s inexpensive, stylish, soft, and cozy. 10/10. Check out how to make your quilt cover here.
9. Epic Dog Crate
Finally, we have the most epic dog crate of them all. This looks like a super expensive item from Crate and Barrel, but just needs a little woodworking skill and some fabric. It’s essentially a table with a curtain.
If you’re feeling up to the task, I highly recommend you check out the full blog post about it here.
Still feeling the urge to create stuff for your dog? We’ve got 25 DIY indoor dog gates and pet barriers that could be very useful for your home.
