Why does my home insurance company need to know the breed of my dog?

Around 20% of households in Canada have a dog, with roughly 7.9 million pet dogs residing in the country. That’s a lot of Fidos. 

Most pet dogs will get into the odd trouble here and there, like digging in the garbage or chewing up your favourite pair of shoes. But dog bites? Many of us could never imagine our beloved family pet hurting someone else, but over 500,000 dog bites occur each year in Canada. When you’re buying insurance, your provider may request to know the breed of your furry friend because certain breeds can be a higher risk of bite-related lawsuits than others. Let’s explore that a little more in-depth.

Both tenant and home insurance providers have a vested interest in your pet—namely, your dog. (You could have a really mean cat, but cats don’t generally bring about lawsuits!) 

Specific dog breeds may have higher risk factors, regardless of how well behaved or friendly your pet is. Insurance companies use statistic-based data to analyze the likelihood of certain dog breeds being involved in bite claims. A dog that poses a higher risk, also called a “banned breed,” may mean your insurance rates will be higher to reflect that risk or you could be denied coverage altogether. In other instances, claims related to that animal simply won’t be covered. 

Again, it’s not about how friendly your individual dog is. Insurance companies rely on data from past claims, so if they’ve seen a larger number of bite cases from one breed, that breed may be considered “banned,” cost more to insure, or be omitted from coverage. 

Here are some of the dog breeds that tend to face restrictions from insurers: 

This might be one of the more obvious ones, especially given their history of being controversial. Pit bulls, or technically any dog with the “bully breed” label (Staffordshire terrier, American Pit Bull terrier, American bulldog, Bullmastiff are associated with a higher risk of incidents, and their build makes them likelier to cause greater harm when things go wrong. Pit bulls often get a bad name, and obviously not every pit bull is a bite risk but given their reputation insurance companies may consider your family’s Pit bull or bully breed a “banned” dog. 

Often a movie villain classic, anyone who’s owned a Doberman pinscher knows what good companions these dogs can be. Unfortunately, bite statistics don’t weigh in their favour and their size and build doesn’t exactly help their case. Many insurance companies consider Dobermans a banned breed.  

Rottweilers were bred as working dogs, both to herd livestock and pull carts full of game. Their large size and media portrayal as dangerous and aggressive may have contributed to their bad image, but bite statistics are also a consideration. Some insurance companies ban these dogs.  

Wolfdogs, or wolf hybrids, top the list when it comes to banned breeds; most insurance companies won’t offer liability coverage to dogs with wolf lineage, will rate that household higher, or won’t insure that renter or homeowner altogether.  

Huge in stature and often employed as guard dogs, the Cane Corso is banned by many insurance companies due to their guard dog instinct to protect and defend. 

Although the breeds listed above are the most popular, they’re not the only dogs that insurance companies may ban or adjust rates for. Others include: 

Less than half (40%) of Canadians who own dogs have pure-bred dogs, meaning that some 60% of pet dogs are mixed breed. So how do insurance companies react to dogs that are mixed breed? 

Some dogs are so mixed you can’t reliably tell what breed(s) they are. DNA tests claim to be 90% or higher in accuracy, but a lot of veterinarians and dog genetic experts disagree with this. Technically, a DNA test could say your mixed breed dog is 80% German Shepherd, but the reality could be very different. How can an insurer then decide if a dog belongs to a “banned” breed?  

As the policyholder, you’re required to be upfront about the information you provide your insurance company. If your dog is a mixed breed containing German Shepherd, Pit bull, or some other DNA, you are required to inform your insurance company of this. Mixed breeds can be any percentage of different breeds, ranging from 99% Chihuahua and 1% pit bull to 16 different mixes. Regardless, it’s up to the individual insurance company how they’ll weigh mixed breeds; a dog that’s 80% Shih Tzu, 10% Chihuahua, and 10% Pit bull probably won’t impact your insurance, but again—it depends. 

While we all love our furry friends, claims data may cause an insurance company to be a little more wary. 

Give us a call if you’re concerned about the impact your dog may have on your policy, have questions about your insurance, or want some extra help finding the right coverage for your needs.