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 Toyota Grand Highlander’s layout
The Grand Highlander invites a larger-kennel shortlist, but the starting point should still be your dog’s measurements. Compare a suitable GUNNER G1 with a RuffLand Intermediate only after deciding which rows remain occupied. These are research candidates rather than guaranteed fits. Additional vehicle space is most useful when it preserves access, ventilation and room for a proper installation; it is not a reason to buy a kennel larger than the dog needs.
Treat this as its own Toyota model rather than applying regular Highlander dimensions. The second-row arrangement also matters: a bench and captain’s chairs change how people move through the cabin. Set the seats for their passengers before measuring. An aisle between chairs is useful access space, but it should not be counted as a ready-made kennel location or blocked without considering the people using the third row.
If the third row is folded, measure the supported floor area and hatch opening with the second row in its everyday position. If the third row stays occupied, measure that smaller luggage area separately. Include the rear seatback angle, the inside face of the closed liftgate and the kennel’s handles in the exercise. A product’s nominal footprint cannot answer whether its highest rear corner touches the glass.
Test a complete family loading sequence before ordering: children seated, luggage secured, dog loaded and kennel door closed. A double-door option may offer useful access in some layouts, but a second door helps only if you can actually reach it. Check the restraint instructions against the available mounting locations and leave ventilation unobstructed. Do not trade away access to a passenger’s exit simply to preserve a particular kennel choice.
The checks that matter here
- Identify bench or captain’s chairs and preserve required passenger paths.
- Measure separately with the third row raised and folded.
- Check the complete shell against the closed liftgate and seatback angle.
- Keep the chosen kennel door and restraint locations reachable when packed.
Kennels we would compare for the Toyota Grand Highlander
Choose an installation that keeps necessary passenger access and the kennel door usable when the vehicle is packed.
GUNNER G1 — select size for your dog
Worth evaluating when dedicating cargo space while keeping the Grand Highlander’s second row available.
When we would pass: A full passenger load requires its own cargo trial; a third-row-folded setup is a different use case.
Check this option and its instructions →
RuffLand Intermediate Kennel
Compare when a practical kennel door and family luggage access are central to the proposed layout.
When we would pass: If two shells only fit without room to operate both doors, the two-dog arrangement has failed.
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
- Toyota Grand Highlander manufacturer information
- Toyota: 2026 Grand Highlander seating and equipment
- GUNNER G1 — select size for your dog — manufacturer product information and instructions
- RuffLand Intermediate Kennel — manufacturer product information and instructions
- 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.