Dog Breeds That Could Raise Your Home Insurance Rates or Lead to Claim Denials

While dogs are beloved family members in many households, some homeowners insurance carriers may deny coverage for breeds deemed higher risk for bites and liability claims. If your dog is considered a dangerous breed, navigating homeowners insurance can be challenging and may require finding a less restrictive insurer to ensure adequate coverage.

Keep reading to learn how the breed of your dog can affect your homeowners insurance rates and what you can do if you’re denied coverage for your dog.

On This Page

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  Which Dog Breeds Are Banned by Home Insurance Carriers?

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  How Do Dogs Impact Home Insurance Rates?

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  Why Are Certain Dog Breeds Banned by Home Insurance Companies?

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  Which Home Insurance Companies Don’t Discriminate by Breed?

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  What Should I Do if a Home Insurance Carrier Won’t Cover My Dog?

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  FAQs

Which Dog Breeds Are Banned by Home Insurance Carriers?

While each insurance company may vary in terms of what dog breeds they ban, here’s a quick rundown of some commonly noncovered dog breeds:^[1]

Insurance companies often restrict certain breeds they deem more likely to cause dog bites due to aggressive or overly protective traits or because their larger size could lead to more severe injuries. Unfortunately, insurers generally don't assess an individual dog's temperament for coverage if the breed is considered dangerous, even if the dog has never bitten anyone or caused a claim.

Will a Home Insurance Carrier Deny Me Coverage Because of My Dog?

Your home insurance carrier may deny coverage if your dog’s breed is excluded from their policy or if your dog has a history of bites or damage. This could leave you responsible for out-of-pocket costs if your dog bites someone, which can be substantial, with the average liability claim payout for a dog bite being $58,545 in 2023.^[2]

Some states, like Massachusetts and Nevada, prohibit insurance companies from restricting coverage based on certain dog breeds.^[3] Depending on where you live, you may have protections, so it’s important to check with your homeowners insurance company and local laws.

Keep in mind that lying about your dog’s breed or bite history could be considered fraud, leading to the cancellation of your coverage.

How Do Dogs Impact Home Insurance Rates?

Dogs that are a restricted breed or have a bite history might only lead to higher premiums rather than outright claim denial. Owning a dog can increase homeowners insurance premiums due to the risk of dangerous behavior that can result in a dog bite liability claim.

However, premiums for "aggressive" breeds are generally only about 1% costlier on average.^[1] How insurers view different breeds varies, with some focusing mainly on bite history. If you file a claim due to a dog bite, your insurance company may increase your premium, regardless of your dog’s breed, as it could indicate to insurers that your dog has a higher risk of biting again.

Why Are Certain Dog Breeds Banned by Home Insurance Companies?

Homeowners insurance companies determine rates and coverage eligibility based on risk factors, including certain "dangerous" dog breeds. Dog bites are a significant concern, with 4.5 million bites annually, making up one-third of all homeowners insurance claims.^[4] According to Deborah J. Turner, President of Dean Insurance Agency, homeowners can be held liable not only for dog bites and scratches but also for scares and trips caused by their dog, under a rule called proximate cause.

“If your dog scares me and I run to save my life, but I fall and break a hip that is on the dog owner,” Turner said. “I would not have fallen except your dog scared me.”

Due to the frequency and cost of such incidents, insurance companies often deny coverage for breeds with a higher risk of causing damage or injury. Some states even prohibit certain dog breeds; for example, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico and Tennessee restrict the ownership of German shepherds.^[5] If you have an incident with an illegal breed in your area, insurance companies generally won’t cover you, as illegal actions typically lead to claim denial and could result in dropped coverage.

Which Home Insurance Companies Don’t Discriminate by Breed?

Not every home insurance company denies coverage based on your dog's breed and some don’t consider breed at all. Instead, they assess coverage based on your dog's individual behavior and history, sometimes conducting visits with a company representative. Some of these homeowners insurance companies include:^[6]

• Liberty Mutual
• Nationwide
• Amica
• State Farm
• Chubb
• USAA (restricted to military members, veterans and their families)

What Should I Do if a Home Insurance Carrier Won’t Cover My Dog?

If your homeowners insurance carrier won’t cover your dog or has dropped you due to gaining a new dog that they restrict, you have other options to secure coverage. You could seek separate animal liability insurance, which may be more open to covering your dog's breed. These policies typically offer $25,000 to $50,000 in liability coverage, but the exact amount and limitations vary by policy.^[7]

Another option may be umbrella liability coverage, which can fill in the gaps in your homeowners insurance policy by extending existing coverage. This can include your dog, even if it's a breed not covered by your homeowners insurance policy or has a history of biting. However, some umbrella policies will only extend coverage for covered events in your existing policy, so check beforehand to see if you’ll be covered.

If you’d prefer to be covered by a single insurance policy, you may also want to consider dropping your current home insurance provider and finding another one that doesn’t restrict coverage for your dog’s breed.