Step-by-Step Guide: Folding a Metal Dog Cage Safely

Many dog cages won't collapse unless the doors are closed. This means you'll want to secure the doors shut, rather than just closing them. Close any clasps until you hear the click. Give the doors a gentle pull to make sure they won't open unless you undo whatever latch or clasp you used to close them.

Move to the sides

Check out the sides of the crate where they meet the top, looking for wire or wires that act as hooks that fasten the sides to the top of the cage. Press firmly on the top of the cage until the wire under the hooks is away from (under) the hooks.

Depending on what type of cage you have, you might need to do the opposite. You will lift the top of the cage away from a hook or hooks, pushing the hooks down and forward into the cage

Once the top and sides have separated, push the side forward until it collapses into the cage, resting flat on the floor of the cage. Repeat the process on the other side. You should now have a two-sided cage.

Fold once more

Once you have the two sides resting on the floor of the crate, you'll have a wobbly, two-sided cage. Push the cage to one side, making sure the side of the cage with the door collapses onto the two sides that are resting on the floor of the cage. You will then take the other wall of the cage and fold it on top of the other three sides/walls.

Latch it shut

The crate should be uniformly folded together, so you might think you're done. In order to prevent your crate from unfolding when you pick it up, look for a latch on one of the sides of the crate, which is used for latching the folded crate together.

Check out videos

If you're still having trouble folding your crate, a number of people have put helpful videos on YouTube that show you how to fold your crate in about a minute. If you know the brand or model number of your crate, use that to get to a more specific video. You can also put the brand name and model number into Google, select "videos" above the search results, and find a video that way.

Cover the cage

If you'll be traveling with the cage or carrying it over any surface you don't want to get scratched, consider putting the cage in a plastic garbage bag, blanket, or box to avoid any scratches, as well as any pet food, litter, or liquids from dropping or leaking out.