Dog Backpack for Large Dogs: The Honest Answer First
If you searched for a dog backpack for large dogs, the useful answer is that you should not buy one, and here is why.
A backpack carrier puts the whole weight of your dog on your shoulders and lower back, and holds the dog in one position with limited room to shift. Manufacturers build them for small dogs for exactly that reason. Every backpack carrier we stock is a small-dog product and the honest thing to do is say so rather than sell you one for a Labrador.
There is a second thing people mean by that phrase: a backpack the dog wears, a saddlebag for hiking. That is a real product for a large dog and we do not currently stock it. If that is what you wanted, message us and we will tell you straight away whether we can source it.
What a large dog actually needs for travel is a rigid crate. The rest of this page is about choosing one properly, because that is where the real money and the real mistakes are.
Two Different Products People Both Call a Crate
This is the mistake we see most often at the counter, and it is an expensive one.
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A wire cage is a folding metal crate for use at home. Crate training, a safe place to sleep, keeping a recovering dog quiet. It is good at that job and it is the cheaper product
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A pet travel crate is a rigid plastic box with a metal door, built to airline rules. It costs considerably more and it is the only kind that flies
A wire cage cannot be used to fly a dog. The IATA container requirement is explicit: "Containers made entirely of welded wire mesh, or any other type of wire mesh are not suitable and must not be used for air transport." If you are buying for a flight, a wire cage is not a cheaper option, it is the wrong product.
What "IATA Approved" Actually Means
Worth clearing up, because it is the phrase everyone searches and it is slightly misleading.
IATA publishes the Live Animals Regulations, and Container Requirement 1 is the standard for dogs and cats. IATA does not inspect crates, does not certify brands and does not issue an approval stamp. Manufacturers build to the requirement and describe their product as IATA compliant.
The body that actually decides whether your crate flies is the airline, at the check-in counter, on the day. IATA's own guidance to passengers says it twice: "Contact the airline you have selected to confirm that they accept your pet on the day and flight that you prefer," and "Check with the airline for any special requirements for shipping your pet."
So treat "IATA approved dog crate" as a useful shorthand for "built to CR1", then confirm with your airline before you fly. People are turned away at check-in with crates that carry the label.
What Container Requirement 1 Actually Says
These are the rules an airline will check your crate against. Straight from the requirement:
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Material. "Fiberglass, metal, rigid plastics, welded wire mesh, solid wood or plywood." Not a container made entirely of wire mesh
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Space. The animal must have "enough space to stand, to sit erect, to lie in a natural position and to turn about normally while standing"
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Ventilation. On all four sides, and "the total ventilated area must be at least 16% of the total surface of the four sides"
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The door. It "must form the whole of one end of the container", sliding or hinged, and the locking pins must "engage the container by at least 1.6 cm"
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Wheels. "If a container has wheels, they must be removed or rendered inoperable." Many travel crates are sold with wheels. Take them off before you get to the airport
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Water. "A water container must be present and affixed within the shipping container with outside access for filling," so it can be topped up without opening the door
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Labels. A green "Live Animals" label is mandatory, along with directional arrows
How to Measure Your Dog for a Travel Crate
Do this before you buy anything. It takes five minutes and it is the whole decision.
Measure the dog standing up, on all four feet, awake.
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A = length from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail
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B = height from the ground to the elbow joint
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C = width across the shoulders, or the widest point, whichever is greater
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D = height in a natural standing position, from the floor to the top of the head or the ear tip, whichever is higher
Then the minimum internal dimensions are:
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Length = A plus half of B
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Width = C multiplied by 2
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Height = D plus the depth of the bedding
Two things people get wrong. The height is measured to the ear tip if the ears sit higher than the skull, which matters for a German Shepherd and not for a Labrador. And the internal dimensions are what count, not the external ones on the box, so ask for both.
Snub-nosed breeds need a container 10% larger than the formula gives.
Snub-Nosed Breeds: Read This Before You Book
If you have a Pug, a Bulldog, a Boxer, a Shih Tzu or any other flat-faced breed, the crate is not your first problem.
Air India's published policy states that "Snub-nosed or flat-faced breeds (brachycephalic) are not permitted in the cargo compartment due to the increased risk of respiratory issues and temperature sensitivity," while allowing that these breeds may travel in cabin with veterinary clearance.
Other airlines have their own versions of this rule and they are not identical. If your dog is flat-faced, phone the airline before you buy a crate, before you book a ticket, and before you make any plan that depends on the dog flying in the hold.
Flying a Dog from India: What You Actually Need
Airlines set their own rules for carrying pets and they differ more than you would expect. Using Air India's published rules as the worked example, and confirm the detail with your own airline.
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In cabin, up to 10 kg including the carrier. Air India specifies "a soft kennel of 17x10x9 inches", "leak-proof, secured, ventilated on 3 sides, and without wheels". Book at least 48 hours before departure
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As checked baggage, 10 to 32 kg including the crate. "Hard case carrier as per IATA container guidelines is required"
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Over 32 kg, the dog goes as cargo, which is a separate booking and a separate process
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Documents. A valid rabies and health certificate signed and stamped by a registered veterinarian, with the health certificate issued within seven days of departure, plus the airline's indemnity form
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International travel adds import permits and destination-country requirements, which can take months. Start early
The seven-day health certificate window is the deadline people miss. Book that vet appointment when you book the flight, not the week before.
Crate Training Before the Flight
A crate the dog has never seen before is a box it gets shut into on the worst day of its life. Give yourself weeks, not days.
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Assemble it and leave the door open. In a room the dog uses. Do nothing else for two or three days
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Feed the dog next to it, then just inside it. Never push the dog in
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Put the bedding it already sleeps on inside. Familiar smell does more than anything you can buy
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Close the door for ten seconds, then open it. Build up slowly and stop before the dog is worried, not after
- Work up to an hour with you in the room, then an hour with you out of it
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Take it in the car. A crate that has only ever been still is a different object once it moves
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If the dog panics, go back a step. Forcing it makes the flight worse, not better
Do not sedate a dog for a flight unless a vet has specifically prescribed it for that flight. Sedation affects breathing and temperature regulation at altitude, and most airlines will refuse a visibly sedated animal.
What Goes in the Crate, and What Does Not
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Absorbent bedding the dog already knows. A puppy pad underneath the blanket
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The water container fixed to the door, empty at check-in and filled by ground staff. Freezing water in it the night before is a common trick and it works
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Your contact details written on the crate, plus the dog's name and the flight number
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Nothing loose. No toys with squeakers, no rawhide, nothing the dog can chew and swallow unsupervised for hours
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No collar with a tag or a loose lead inside. Both are strangulation risks in a moving box. Use a flat collar with details written on it, or attach the lead outside
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Cable ties on the corner bolts. Not on the door. Airlines need to be able to open it
Sizing: Small, Medium and Large
Rough guide only. Always measure. A tall thin dog and a short heavy dog of the same weight need different crates.
| Dog |
Typical crate |
Used for |
| Under 10 kg |
Small carrier, sometimes cabin-eligible |
Cabin travel, vet trips, car |
| 10 to 20 kg |
Medium travel crates for dogs |
Checked baggage, car, home crate training |
| 20 to 32 kg |
Large or XL rigid crate |
Checked baggage, usually the largest size an airline will take as baggage |
| Over 32 kg |
XXL rigid crate |
Cargo booking, not checked baggage |
If your dog is close to a size boundary, go up. A crate that is slightly too big is accepted. A crate that is slightly too small is refused at the counter and there is nothing you can do about it that morning.
At a Glance
| What you want |
What to buy |
| Crate training at home |
Wire cage. Cheaper and folds flat |
| Car travel |
Rigid carrier or a wire cage secured properly |
| Vet visits with a small dog |
Small rigid carrier |
| Flying, dog under 10 kg |
Soft cabin bag if the airline allows it. Confirm first |
| Flying, dog 10 to 32 kg |
Rigid IATA dog crate, sized by the formula above |
| Flying, dog over 32 kg |
XXL rigid crate and a cargo booking |
| Flying a flat-faced breed |
Phone the airline before anything else |
| Carrying a large dog on your back |
Nothing. This is not a product a large dog should be in |
What We Have Right Now
We would rather tell you than have you find out at checkout. This category moves slowly and stock is thin at the moment. Rigid travel carriers come and go, and the largest sizes go first.
If you have a flight booked and you need a specific size, message us with your dog's four measurements rather than a size letter. S, M and L mean different things to different manufacturers and the measurements do not.
Buy a Dog Crate or Pet Carrier in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai
We are the online arm of Goodman Pet Chemist, a licensed veterinary pharmacy with four branches. For a travel crate this is worth an in-person visit, because you can see the actual internal size rather than trusting a photograph.
Looking for an IATA Approved Dog Crate We Do Not Have?
Airline crates in the larger sizes are not something most Indian shops keep on the floor. If you need one and it is not here, tell us and we will source it or tell you honestly that we cannot in your timeframe.
- WhatsApp +91 90044 85093
- Email bark@animeal.in
- Or ask at any of the four branches
Send us the four measurements, your dog's weight, the airline and the flight date. That is everything we need. Give us as much notice as you can, because larger crates are ordered in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a dog backpack for large dogs?
Backpack carriers are built for small dogs, because the wearer takes the full weight and the dog cannot move much inside. For a large dog, use a rigid crate for travel and a properly fitted harness for walks. If you meant a backpack the dog wears on a hike, that does exist for large dogs, and you should start it empty and add weight slowly, after checking with your vet.
What is an IATA approved dog crate?
A crate built to IATA Container Requirement 1: rigid material, ventilation on all four sides totalling at least 16% of the side area, a door forming the whole of one end with locking pins engaging at least 1.6 cm, no working wheels, and an externally fillable water container. IATA does not certify or stamp crates, so the airline makes the final call.
Can I use a wire cage as an airline dog crate?
No. IATA states that containers made entirely of welded wire mesh or any other wire mesh are not suitable and must not be used for air transport. A wire cage is for home crate training.
What size travel crate does my dog need?
Measure the dog standing. Length equals nose-to-tail-base plus half the elbow height. Width equals shoulder width times two. Height equals the standing height to the top of the head or ear tip, plus bedding depth. Snub-nosed breeds need 10% more.
What is the difference between a dog crate and a pet travel crate?
A crate for home use is usually folding wire. A pet travel crate is rigid plastic or fibreglass with a metal door, built to airline rules. Only the second one flies.
How heavy can my dog be to fly as checked baggage from India?
On Air India, up to 32 kg including the crate, with 10 kg the limit for in-cabin travel including the carrier. Above 32 kg the dog travels as cargo. Confirm with your own airline, because limits differ.
Can a Pug or a Bulldog fly?
Not in the hold on Air India, which does not permit snub-nosed breeds in the cargo compartment because of respiratory and temperature risk, though it allows them in cabin with veterinary clearance. Rules vary between airlines. Call before you book.
Should I sedate my dog for a flight?
Not unless a vet has prescribed it specifically for that flight. Sedation affects breathing and temperature control at altitude, and airlines can refuse a visibly sedated animal.
My crate came with wheels. Is that a problem?
Only if you leave them on. The requirement is that wheels must be removed or rendered inoperable, so take them off before you reach the airport.
How far ahead should I start preparing?
Weeks for crate training. At least 48 hours for a cabin booking on Air India. The health certificate must be issued within seven days of departure. International travel needs months because of import permits.
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