Last Updated on November 14, 2023 by Kieran Beckles
Do you have a dog with separation anxiety and you want to find a dog crate to keep your pet safe and secure when you’re not at home?
Perhaps you’ve got a dog who is an anxious traveller and you need a durable and safe dog crate to keep them as comfortable as possible on road trips.
Copper and Skye are Alaskan Klee Kai who suffer with varying degrees of separation anxiety, which is a chronic canine condition that can affect dogs.
While some dogs with severe separation anxiety like to vocalize their feeling as is the case with Copper, other pups like Skye can internalize any anxiety that they feel so it’s trickier to spot.
In this article, I’m going to be taking a look at two of the leading dog crates that could potentially help if you’ve got dogs with separation anxiety.
The Impact High Anxiety Crate has been specifically designed for dogs with separation anxiety, while the Gunner G1 Kennel is a durable crate that prioritizes pet safety.
We’ll take a look at the features with the High Anxiety Crate and the Gunner Kennel, highlighting some similarities and differences before giving our verdict on the best dog crate for separation anxiety.
Cut To The Chase: You can save 15% on your first Impact crate order when you click here and use code “LIFEWITHKLEEKAI” at the checkout.
What Is Impact High Anxiety Crate?
Impact Dog Crates have established themselves as one of the leading manufacturers of dog crates in the USA. All their dog crates are made in the USA.
The High Anxiety Crate is described by Impact Dog Crates as their escape-proof crate designed to cater to anxious dogs.
The High Anxiety Crate uses 62% thicker aluminum metal when compared to their Collapsible and Stationary models to increase the structural integrity of the crate.
It has a welded design to make it an ultra durable metal crate that will remain stable and secure under pressure if you’ve got anxious dogs with destructive tendencies.
The High Anxiety Crate has smaller ventilation holes compared to other models to provide plenty of airflow but prevent dogs from clawing or chewing the crate.
As you might expect with an indestructible crate, the High Anxiety has features to make it more robust and secure. For instance, there’s four additional butterfly latches to keep your dog safe.
Impact’s High Anxiety Crate has a zinc steel paddle latch to making opening and closes really easy but withstand impact, while the butterfly latches are easy to use even with one hand.
Just like other Impact Dog Crates, the High Anxiety has military grade handles to make it portable, while it has stackable corners to allow pet owners to maximise space.
The High Anxiety Crate gets stellar reviews and you find plenty of testimonials where dog owners share how the crate has survived car accidents or escape attempts from aspiring Houdinis.
The High Anxiety is the most expensive of the Impact Dog Crates. It starts at $1099 for the 30″ model, while it goes up to $1399 for the 40″ model.
Our Verdict
If you’re familiar with Life With Klee Kai, you’ll know that I love my Impact Collapsible Crate but I managed to get my hands on a High Anxiety Crate to see how it could help Copper and Skye.
I was really impressed with the safety latches to ensure my Alaskan Klee Kai remained safe inside the dog crate even if my daughter tried to free them (as often happens).
The safety latches were easy to use alongside the paddle latch that you can slam close if you have your hands full and need to quickly put your dog away.
The Impact Crate has a sturdy design and I could notice the High Anxiety used thicker metal compared to Collapsible and Stationary models.
Copper and Skye often go into the High Anxiety Crate unprompted because it provides a quiet, safe den to escape life with a rambunctious toddler.
I did notice Copper’s separation anxiety wasn’t as extreme when I left my Klee Kai inside the High Anxiety – and I had greater peace of mind given the safety features.
While it has military grade handles to make it easy to carry, it’s a heavy duty crate. My wife struggled to lift the crate.
So if you want a dog crate that can remain in a specific place in your home or stay in your trunk or truck bed, the High Anxiety is a great choice.
But if you want a more portable crate that you can move to different places or take on a vacation, you may want to go for a more lightweight option.
What Is Gunner G1 Kennel?
The Gunner G1 Kennel is one of the leading dog crate options in the market if you’re looking for a crate constructed with the highest quality materials.
The Gunner Kennel is not made specifically to cater to dogs with separation anxiety but it still has plenty of features that make it better than traditional plastic crates.
The Gunner Kennel is a double wall rotomolded crate to withstand impact from destructive dogs or impact resulting from a car accident.
Just like the High Anxiety, the Gunner Kennel has a paddle latch to make it easy to open and close, while it has a lock to keep your dog secure.
There are two additional locks at the top and bottom of the crate to keep dogs with separation anxiety safely inside their den.
The Gunner Kennel has a powerful door mechanism paired with a sturdy aluminum frame to make the Gunner Kennel extremely stable and secure.
You’ll notice the Gunner Kennel has window vents to allow for airflow and they’ve been designed to withstand environmental elements such as rain, snow and sleet.
The Gunner Kennel has a wider base to stablize the crate and prevent movement if you’ve got an energetic dog inside.
If you’re planning to travel with your dog who may have anxiety or want to escape their crate, the Gunner Kennel has incorporated tie down pins to make it easier to secure with the tie downs.
The Gunner G1 Kennel starts at $500 for the Small Crate and goes up to $975 for the Large Crate.
Our Verdict
I was excited to give the Gunner Kennel a try, especially considering the stellar reviews online.
I was impressed with the double walled rotomolded plastic that created a durable, heavy duty and sturdy dog crate to keep my Alaskan Klee Kai safe.
The Gunner Kennel has a reversible door which can be located on either side of the entrance, which I think provides great flexibility if you’re planning to use the dog crate in your car trunk.
While it hasn’t been designed for dogs with separation anxiety, I believe the Gunner Kennel would be a dependable place to keep anxious pets if you’re searching for safe dog crates.
I can see how the exterior layer absorbs impact from inside and outside, which will keep most dogs safe. The Gunner Kennel has rubber feet to ensure the crate doesn’t move even if you’ve got an energetic pup.
As someone who has big shedders, I really liked Gunner Kennels have a drainage system.
The carry handles have to be attached to the Gunner Kennel when you first take it out of the box, there’s no other assembly required.
I did find the Gunner Kennel to be pretty heavy to carry even using the kayak grade handles – my wife struggled to lift it and carry it to our car.
The Gunner Kennel is a great dog crate with a lot of useful features but I do feel it lacks the stylish design of other crates.
Impact High Anxiety Crate Or Gunner G1 Kennel: Our Pick
We’ve reached the key part of our article – do we recommend the High Anxiety or Gunner G1 Kennel?
Well my pick if you’re looking for a dog crate to cater to a furry friend with separation anxiety, I’d recommend the High Anxiety Crate.
It’s got a super durable design with thick aluminum frame to withstand pressure from dogs with destructive tendencies.
I really liked the small circle ventilations holes to keep Copper and Skye safe from themselves.
The butterfly latches added extra Impact protection alongside the paddle latch mechanism.
Having read through the reviews of the High Anxiety Crate, I was really impressed with some of the customer testimonials of how the Impact Crates have withstood car accidents and other freak occurrences.
We really liked the High Anxiety Crate’s appearance and design – we were happy to keep it permanently located in our living room. It even received compliments from visitors!
If you do decide to go for the Gunner Kennel, you can still be confident that it can serve your canine companion well if they’ve got separation anxiety.
The Gunner Kennels do have a lower price point than the High Anxiety, especially when you’re buying the small versions of the dog crates.
But overall, the High Anxiety would be my recommendation for dogs with separation anxiety.
Where To Buy The Impact High Anxiety Dog Crate?
You can only buy the Impact High Anxiety Dog Crate direct from their website here.
Where To Buy The Gunner G1 Kennel?
Gunner Kennels only available to purchase through their website when you click this link.
Is There An Impact Coupon Code Or Discount?
We secured an exclusive discount on Impact Crates for our Life With Klee Kai Community. You can save 15% on your High Anxiety purchase when you click this link or the button below and use the coupon code “LIFEWITHKLEEKAI”.
Is There A Gunner Kennels Coupon Code Or Discount?
You can visit the Gunner Kennels’ website to see if they’ve got a promotion ongoing through this link.
Anything Else To Consider?
Impact Crates offer a Dog Damage Guarantee with their High Anxiety Crate. This is the only crate within their range to be covered by this particular guarantee.
If your dog damages the High Anxiety Crate, Impact will replace it within 10 years of your purchase. You can visit their website to learn more.
Gunners Kennels offer a lifetime guarantee on their G1 Kennel which you can check out here. If you have any questions about their lifetime guarantee or the Gunner crates in general, Gunner Kennels have good customer service to help pet parents.
It’s worth noting that both of these crates are made in the USA.
Impact High Anxiety Crate Or Gunner G1 Kennel: Conclusion
We’ve reached the end of our comparison article on the best dog crate for dogs with separation anxiety.
My pick would be the High Anxiety Crate based upon my success using it for Copper and Skye.
It should be able to withstand most dogs even with severe anxiety and the High Anxiety comes with the Dog Damage Guarantee to cover destructive dogs.
I really liked the appearance and the design, while Copper and Skye seemed to feel more relaxed thanks to the den-like feel of the High Anxiety.
Having said that, the Gunner G1 Kennel represents a good choice for pet parents who want a durable and reliable crate but it hasn’t been purposefully designed for dogs with separation anxiety.
You won’t go wrong with either of these crates but the High Anxiety Crate comes out on top.
Kieran runs Life With Klee Kai on social media and other online platforms alongside his wife Yasmin. With over 10 years of experience as a journalist and a passionate dog owner, Kieran loves to combine his passion for pets and writing to share useful insights and product reviews to help other dog owners.