From an article in Psychology Today: Because dog bites account for up to one-third of the claims paid out by home insurers, they may be sensitive to the type of dog you have in your homeThey can refuse to provide you with a policy, exclude dog bite coverage, or charge higher rates if you own dogs they deem too likely to bite.
The list of “aggressive dogs” or “excluded dogs” is based on breed, where allowed, although some states forbid insurance companies from breed-specific rules. In those states, companies must base your approval/denial decision and your premium rate decision on the specific dog, rather than on the breed.
Each insurance company comes up with its own list, but the following breeds made it onto most, if not all, of the company’s lists:
Pit Bull Terriers
Staffordshire Terriers
Rottweilers
German Shepherds
Presa Canarios
Chows Chows
Doberman Pinschers
Akitas
Wolf-hybrids
Mastiffs
Cane Corsos
Great Danes
Alaskan Malamutes
Siberian Huskies
Keep in mind that the exclusion is not only for purebred dogs, but also dogs who have these breeds in their ancestral trees.
Best course of action is to call your insurance company or check their website to find out which dogs are on their list and see if you’re covered. It’s far better to find out you need special coverage or a new policy (possibly with a new insurer) now, rather than after your dog bites someone. Of course, all of us think our dog would never bite anyone, but anything with teeth can bite, regardless of whether or not the dog is classified as an aggressive breed.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!