Research-based shortlist, not a verified-fit list. Confirm your model year, body style, trim and seat layout before buying.
This guide builds on our general guide to choosing the best kennel for your vehicle. Start there for the overall approach, or change vehicles with the selector below.
Start with your Buick Encore GX’s layout
The Encore GX offers cargo flexibility, including split rear seats and available features such as a fold-flat front passenger seat. Those features can help move long objects, but they are not blanket guidance for where an occupied dog kennel belongs. Start with the normal passenger arrangement and the rear cargo area.
Confirm that you own the Encore GX rather than the older Encore. The similar names are an easy source of misleading fit photographs. Record the year and any reconfigurable cargo-floor setting before comparing an enclosure’s exterior measurements.
With the seats upright, check the top of the kennel under the hatch as carefully as its base on the floor. If the floor can change position, choose a permitted supported configuration and measure it as one complete setup. Do not take headroom from one setting and support assumptions from another.
For a small dog, a properly installed seat carrier is a separate option if the cargo kennel would eliminate everyday luggage space. Compare that trade against the passenger seat it consumes. Our cargo shortlist remains conditional on a dog-appropriate shell, a clear rear entrance and an installation supported by the product instructions.
The checks that matter here
- Encore GX rather than older Encore
- Actual cargo-floor setting
- Passenger seats retained in ordinary use
Kennels we would compare for the Buick Encore GX
Assess seats-up cargo first; flexible long-load features are not automatic occupied-kennel locations.
RuffLand single-door kennel
A compact dog-appropriate single-door RuffLand is a candidate for a measured rear-cargo arrangement.
When we would pass: Do not use the folded front passenger seat as assumed kennel support.
Check this option and its instructions →
Gunner G1
Compare G1 only if the rear opening and selected floor setup accept its complete installation.
When we would pass: If the correct dog size eliminates required luggage or seats, change the travel layout.
Check this option and its instructions →
Sleepypod Air — small-dog seat alternative
For a small dog, a Sleepypod Air in a permitted rear seating position can be compared with dedicating the Encore GX cargo floor to a kennel.
When we would pass: The carrier requires its own seat and instructed belt routing; available fold-flat cargo features do not substitute for that installation.
Check this option and its instructions →
These are candidates to investigate, not confirmed fits. Match the exact size and installation instructions to your dog and vehicle before ordering.
Before you order
Use the main guide’s dog-sizing and loading-route checklist to test your chosen layout. Review how to check crash-test evidence for the exact product and installation; a successful physical fit does not establish crash protection.
Bring your dog’s measurements, your model year and trim, and photos of the intended installation area to the kennel seller. Ask for the exterior envelope and usable interior measurements of the exact size and door configuration. Confirm the return terms before a trial fit.
Sources and related guides
- Buick Encore GX manufacturer information
- Buick Encore GX manufacturer reference 2
- Compare our kennel product reviews
- All 106 vehicle guides
Reviewed October 26, 2026. Recommendations are editorial judgments from published information; no vehicle-specific fit or crash result is implied.