what are the appropriate dimensions for a dog crate?

Crates are in no way inhumane. They are a safe way to keep the pet contained when used properly. The animal should be able to stand up, sit down, lay down and turn around.

Most crates have lists of breeds on the box that you can use as a guideline- that might help. You can also ask others who have Belgian Tervurens what they use; perhaps ask the breeder as they might know what size to expect the puppy to grow to? (If its a pet store hopefully they didn’t BREED the puppy so you won’t be able to ask…)

Tall enough for the dog to stand or sit without crouching and wide enough for the dog to easily turn around. Measure the dog’s height at the top of the shoulder and add two inches to get a crate tall enough. Measure the dog’s body length from center of breastbone to center of butt to get the length of the crate.

it would probably need to be around 26-28 inches tall depending on male or female, and I like them long (40 inches or so) so my dogs can stretch their legs out behind them to sleep.

I would make it big enough for the dog to stand up in, and big enough for it to stretch it’s legs.

Just enough room to stand, turn around, and lay down. If it’s too big, your dog will go to the bathroom on one end and hang out on the other end. Feed your dog his meals in there when you first get it to build a positive association. I’m not familiar with that breed, but they sell crates with a removable inner wall so that if you’re getting a puppy, you can buy a crate that will fit the dog when it’s full grown. Start out using the wall and move it as the dog grows.

And crates are absolutely not inhumane. Dogs in the wild live in little dens that they make for themselves. Crates are a great way to replicate that & housebreak & keep your dog safe if you can’t fully supervise it. Dogs left alone in a spare room can get into lots of trouble you never thought of and even hurt themselves. THAT’s inhumane.

just enough room to stand and turn around.

Jaq’s pretty much right. You don’t have to give your dog run of the house. You can restrict him to one or a few rooms. You can get a crate to take your dog somewhere in the car, but not at home. Then it’s not a home.

My male tervs’ crates are 40" long, 28" wide, and 30" high; a b1tch would fit in a slightly smaller crate. If you buy a crate with a divider, it’ll last the life of the dog.