Ruff Land Kennels Dog Crate Review

I feel like, when it comes to certain dog products, I’m always on the lookout for the “perfect” dog item.  One such dog product has been dog crates.  Both of my dogs, Kitsune the papillon and Fenrir the Alaskan klee kai, are crate trained.  I know not everyone supports using crates for dogs.  Suffice it to say, I am pro crate as long as they are used responsibly.  But that’s a post for another day.

Our crates of the past…

My Kitsune is 13+ now.  Over the years, we’ve tied quite a few different crates.  Wire crates are probably the most popular for in home use, but we had an incident with Fen in one when he was a puppy that turned me off from wanting to continue using them.  We have a soft sided crate that works pretty well.  Both the dogs really seem to like it, and often nap in it (with the door left open) during the day.  But it’s not the most secure.  I worry that if one of the boys ever scratched at the fabric of the soft sided crate, they’d be able to tear it and escape, potentially hurting themselves in the process.

Back when we got our car, we bought the boys Gunner Kennels for traveling.  Gunner Kennels are one of the very few dog carriers to actually be crash tested!  With their double rotomolded walls and locking doors, these crates are super secure.  They are also bulky, heavy, and, judging by the fact that Fen refuses to sleep in his in the summer, hot.  I still highly recommend, and continue to use, Gunner Kennels for travel (in an air conditioned vehicle).  But I decided that they probably weren’t the most ideal type of kennel for crating indoors.

When looking for indoor crates there were a couple of, mostly superficial, things I was searching for.

First and foremost, I wanted crates that were sturdy and secure.  I wanted crates that came in larger sizes, because, despite having small dogs, I prefer their indoor crates to be roomy.  I didn’t want to go with wire crates, but I needed something with good ventilation that wouldn’t be uncomfortable for Fen in hot weather.  On the more superficial side, I would have loved to find crates that came in a verity of colors, with removable doors, that were rectangular with flat tops so that they would look nice sitting next to each other.

So what kennel try next?

I began to hear a lot of buzz about Ruff Land (formally Ruff Tuff) Kennels.  There were/are a couple of things I liked about them.  First, while still not cheap, they are a bit more budget friendly compared to other high end kennels.  They come in a verity of sizes, from small to extra large.  Their doors can be opened from either the left or the right, and can also be removed completely.  I really wanted a crate with that feature, so that I can leave the doors off most of the time and allow the dogs to go in and out of their crates as they please, without having swinging doors getting in their way.

Ruff Lands are made from a single layer of plastic, which seems to make them a bit cooler than the double walled Gunners.  For the most part Ruff Lands come in three basic color options, but once in awhile the company offers limited releases of specialty colors.  The tops of these kennels are relatively flat, and they’re stackable which I think is a cool feature, even if I don’t plan on stacking mine.  The sides are at a bit of an angle, so they’re not perfect rectangles, which I don’t love, but from what I read on their site this design gives the crates more impact absorbing flexibility, which, in theory, would help keep your dog safer in a car accident.

I decided to try Ruff Land Kennels for my boys.

I ordered Kit a large sized kennel with two doors, one on the front and one on the right side.  Fen’s has doors on the front and left side.  The ability to add extra doors where you want them is another cool feature.  I was originally going to go with just the standard door placement, but decided to add an extra door on the side in case I ever decide I want to orient the crates another way.

It took 10 days for my crates to ship after I placed my order.  That was for a standard white colored crate with an extra door.  From what I’ve heard, shipping times can depend a bit on what you order, with specialty colors and additional customization taking longer.  Our crate arrived in good condition, and I’m happy with the size.  My dogs for sure would have fit in a smaller size, but since these will be their indoor crates rather than being used for travel, I wanted to give them more space.

Why it took us so long to review our crates…

I originally purchased our Ruff Land Kennels back in June of 2020!  So why am I just getting to a review now?  Firstly, it took me quite awhile to actually try out the crates because I wanted to customize them first.  The spoiled Paw Pack pups can’t be spending time in such basic kennels, after all!  I spray painted Kitsune’s crate red, and Fen’s blue.  You can read more about the process here.  

Of course, go figure, around the 4th of July this year Ruff Land Kennels released special edition “patriotic” colored crates in, you guessed in, red and blue.  Almost the same exact shades of red and blue as I painted our crates!  If only I had known, I would have saved myself the work and just waited to buy the special edition kennels.  Oh well.

The crate pictures in this post are from before I painted them.  One thing to also note is that our crates are the old edition crates.  Ruff Land Kennels recently released their “Gen II” design which, although similar, apparently feature a few changes.

Soon after I painted our Ruff Lands Kennels, we ended up moving.  I ended up posting about painting our crates, but never the actual review of the crates – until now!

What I like about our Ruff Land Kennels…

• Competitive pricing: Ruff Land Kennels, while not cheap, are often considered to be a budget option as far as high quality dog crates go.
• Door options: I love that, when ordering, you can customize where you want doors on your Ruff Land crate.  The doors open in both directions, and can also be completely removed.
• Light weight: Despite the fact that I ordered large crates for my small dogs, the crates are not super heavy.  I can lift and move them short distances myself.  When I want to move them further, I enlist my partners help, but more because the crates are large/bulky than because of their weight.
• Air flow: My double coated, heat hating Fenrir seems perfectly content to sleep in his Ruff Land Kennel even on the warmest of nights.  It doesn’t seem to retain too much heat and, especially if you get one with multiple doors, seems to have good air flow.

What I don’t like about Ruff Land Kennels…

• The doors: I have a love hate relationship with the doors on these crates.  I love the features I mentioned above, but wish they were more secure.  Kitsune has escaped from his crate a few times, seemingly by popping the door off.
• Failed crash testing: These crates failed crash testing.  The tie down brackets and the door failed during the test.  People always like to point out that you can purchase a door latch accessory, that makes the doors more secure, separately.  But you have to drill into the crates to install the door latch, which voids your warranty.  I also just feel like when you’re spending this much on a crate, the least the company should be able to do is ensure they are safe for travel without having to purchase and install separate accessories.
• The new design: I’m not sure whether I would have bought a Ruff Lands Kennel if they had rolled out their new, Gen II design before I ordered.  I like the flatter top, and the inside floor of the older design more than the new one.
• Colors are limited: With how popular the specialty colors are, it’s frustrating that each color is only out for a limited time.  They do often bring back colors yearly.  But a dog crate isn’t something you want to wait a long time to buy if you need one.  I’ve heard quite a few accounts of the specialty colors taking a really long time to ship as well, when you can actually get one in the first place.

So are Ruff Land Kennels the “perfect” dog crate?

No.  Not for my pack at least.

But they are pretty close as far as house crates go!  Our Ruff Lands Kennels will continue to be used as indoor crates only.  I have no desire to modify the doors on ours to make them safe for travel.

I love our painted Ruff Land crates and my boys really like them too.  Most of the time, since my partner and I work from home, I just remove the front doors of Kit and Fen’s crates and let them come and go as they please.  Fen especially loves sleeping in his.  I like that even the larger sized Ruff Lands Kennels are on the lighter side, and get good enough air flow that my dogs are comfortable using them in the heat of the summer.

However, if for some reason I ever needed, or decided, to replace or Ruff Lands crates, I think my quest for the perfect crate would continue.  But, just because they aren’t my “perfect” crate doesn’t mean they won’t be yours!  Everyone looks for different things when it comes to pet products.  What do you think?  Have you ever tried a Ruff Land Kennel for your dog?  What is your current favorite brand of dog crate?