MidWest Homes iCrate 24-Inch Double Door Folding Crate Review

Almost every trainer, breeder, and shelter in America has recommended an iCrate at some point, and the reasons are boringly practical. The 24-inch size hits the crate-fit rule for small breeds — big enough for the dog to stand, turn around, and lie stretched out, small enough that it still feels like a den rather than a hallway. For a mini dachshund, that sizing note matters more than usual: a long body needs the crate's length more than its height, and 24 inches of floor gives a full stretch-out with the door closed. Bigger dogs simply move up MidWest's size ladder, which runs to 48 inches on the same design.

The features that separate it from generic wire crates are the double doors and the divider. A second door on the side sounds trivial until you're arranging furniture — it means the crate can tuck against a wall or under a console table and still open into the room. The divider panel is the puppy-training hero: crate training leans on a dog's instinct not to soil their sleeping area, which only works if the crate is snug, so you wall off a puppy-sized section and expand it as they grow instead of buying two crates. The whole thing also folds flat with a carry handle, which makes it the crate that goes to the in-laws' house for the holidays.

Know what you're not getting. The wire gauge is fine for the vast majority of dogs but won't hold a powerful, panicked escape artist — if your dog bends bars or pops latches, that's a heavier-duty crate conversation (or a Revol, below). The slide-out pan is thin plastic that does its leak-proof job but rattles under a restless dog until you put a mat over it — budget a few dollars for a crate pad regardless, since bare plastic is nobody's idea of a bed. Those caveats aside, this is the rare product where the cheap, ubiquitous option is also genuinely the best starting point for almost everyone.