13 Ideas for Adding a Dog Crate or Kennel to an RV
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Ashley Mann spent three years living full time in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband Josiah and their cat, Kitty. Her favorite thing about RV life is the challenge of finding the perfect way to organize a space, and she loves seeing all the creative and clever ways people come up with to customize their RVs.
Since making room for a large dog crate in an RV can be difficult, these RV owners came up with creative solutions to create DIY built-in dog kennels!
Scroll down to see examples and ideas for adding a dog create to an RV.
Custom RV Modifications to Add a Dog Crate
I’ll start by showing some ways people have modified their RVs to add a dog kennel.
1. RV Cabinet Removed to Make Space for a Dog Crate
First up is this cabinet, which was removed to make a place to set a dog crate which happened to be the same size as the space created.
The owner says she saved the panel and cabinet door so that she can put it back if she ever decides to sell her camper to someone who wants the cabinet.
She kept the top of the cabinet installed as a small table, keeping the space functional.
2. Dining Booth Removed to Make Space for Dog Kennel
This next camper has a dog cage custom-built into the area where the dining booth was removed.
The owner shared this photo with me a long time ago, and unfortunately, I don’t have more information about how it was built.
Converting a Dinette Bench Into a Dog Crate
This is one of the most popular ways to build dog crates since most dinette benches are designed for storage.
3. The double-sided dinette crates
The owners of this motorhome rebuilt their booth dinette benches to turn the space underneath into a place their dogs could safely travel. You can see more photos and read about how they did it and the materials they used on their blog.
4. The U-Shaped Dinette
Here’s another style of RV dining booth converted to a dog kennel.
The owners of this toy hauler removed the original U-shaped dinette and rebuilt a custom booth that includes the dog kennel as well as a cat door leading to a storage area underneath the RV where their litter box is stored.
For cat lovers: 7 Ideas for storing a litter box in an RV
5. One bench, Two kennels
Not only did the owners of this RV turn one of the dinette benches into a dog kennel, but they also replaced the other bench with two chairs to create more space in their RV.
6. Adding a Dog Crate Under the Sofa
A reader named Judy Acker shared these photos with me of her DIY RV sofa, a daybed she built for her RV that has space for dog crates underneath with a curtain to conceal them. Such a clever use of space!
Converting the Space Under an RV Bed Into a Dog Bed
Like RV dining booths, RV beds often offer plenty of storage! These owners got creative.
7. The cozy dog bed
The people who own this fifth-wheel RV just needed a cozy place for their smaller dog to sleep that was close by but not on their bed. They cut a hole into the side of their bed’s platform and added a dog bed in the storage area underneath.
8. The extra cabinet and dog kennel build
This RV owner didn’t just create a dog kennel under his bed. He took the time to add a giant drawer to keep his storage space under the bed.
9. Double Dog Beds
Here’s another RV bed customization project perfect for owners with two pups! You can see more photos of this one and read about how it was built here.
Bunks Used as a Dog Kennel
Some RV owners whose campers or motorhomes have bunks that aren’t being used by humans have turned that space into a place to set up a dog crate.
10. An inexpensive DIY option
The owner of this RV eliminated the need for a crate by installing a door made from lattice. (A stronger material and a larger latch could be used for larger, stronger dogs who might damage a lattice gate.)
11. The “keep the house clean” double entry
The owners of this next RV converted the space beneath the bottom bunk in their RV into a dog cage which can be accessed from both inside and outside the RV.
You can see more photos and read about how the project was done in this blog post.
Dog Crates That Double As Furniture
If you don’t have a good place for a built-in dog kennel but don’t have space for a free-standing crate either, one solution might be to buy or build a dog crate that doubles as furniture.
12. Dining with the Dogs
One resourceful RV owner turned her dining table into a dog crate by dismantling a baby gate and attaching it to the legs of the table using zip ties. For the front and back, she used sides of a dog crate she took apart. She says it’s very sturdy!
A handmade curtain that opens at the same place as the door is attached with Velcro so the table looks less like a dog bed when not in use.
13. Amazon has everything.
Amazon has some beautiful dog crate side tables!
- [Multi-Purpose Use] Now your pet can rest in a safe, comfortable and functional dog crate furniture that doubles as a casual chic bookcase, media console or accent table. It will complement any home decor, providing a combination of furniture and function for your furry friend while saving precious space.
You can also make your own by creating a wooden top for a regular dog crate.
Do you have a photo of how you’ve added a dog kennel to your RV? If so, feel free to add it to the comments!
If you’re looking for other ideas for RVing with pets, check out my RVing with Pets Resource Page!
These are some clever ways to keep a dog crate while maximizing space! I think my favorites are when there’s enough space underneath the bed. That may also be because our pets follow us everywhere and maybe if they had their beds underneath the bed we’d actually have more space at night, haha.
I love all the ideas. My dogs are 10 and 6 and havent been kenneled in years. But all goid ideas to think about fir if for sone reason qe need to. I like their beds under the bed ir if ended findung simethung with the bunnk house. Even thou my husband says ni on bunk house, and yse that space for other things. But the b3ds ubder are bed would be nice even though im hoping to actually keep them out of the room. Two 60 lb dogs then add husband and me. Not much room for us in a queen bed
So many terrific ideas! I love the ones under the bed because our dogs always liked the bedroom to sleep. If you put them there when you have to leave, I think they’d feel safe and not stressed.
We don’t have a dog yet, but I’m pretty sure wee’ll be adopting one soon! The under the booth crates are genius. We don’t really utilize that space well anyways. Thanks for sharing!
We love this idea our dog will love this
Yay! 🙂
We were looking at trailers recently and Outback is now creating a space under the bed for your dog or cat, with a swing gate made of 2″x2″ steel wire. Very nice, but we bought a Sporttrek instead.
How cool that a manufacturer would build in this feature!
Brilliant blog…