Regardless of other people’s perceptions, you know that your dog is just as loving as he is loyal. Whether you’re at the park, walking around the neighborhood, or hanging out at home, your pup is probably accustomed to a domestic lifestyle. For many dogs, this leads to docility, but some dogs retain their guard-like instincts. Canines who fall into the latter category may have their defensive urges triggered if they perceive a threat — and especially if they are provoked. Unfortunately, this is how many dog bite cases arise, but canine liability insurance can protect against liability. Does dog breed affect insurance, though — and is insurance more expensive for certain breeds? Find out how rates for the Canine Liability may be calculated.
Weight and Height
Any injury caused by a dog to either a human or animal is primarily caused by power behind the bite and is calculated as such. Chihuahuas are considered one of the most aggressive breeds. Fortunately, they do not have the weight or the length of teeth to produce major damage. Likewise, they do not have the height to cause facial injury. The myth that a pit bull can lock his jaw and then grind their teeth causing further damage is anatomically impossible. What many dogs will do is simply stop and hold what they perceive as a threat. People consider this excessive, however, many breeds exhibit this behavior.
So, height, weight and length of teeth must be considered in pricing a canine liability policy.
Public opinion
Unfortunately, public opinion results in higher numbers of claims reported and there is a perception that bites by certain breeds are worse than other bites. People are much quicker to report a bite by a German Shephard than a Labrador. While the weight and height may be similar, the general public opinion is that Labs are good dogs and assume that the injury was accidental rather than intentional and aggressive. The victims may actually cause dogs to react simply because their fear is easily read by any dog and weakness in the animal world sends a much different response than it does for humans.
Tendency toward protection
Many breeds have been bred for decades to protect the families, and those breeds retain the traits of protecting the family. A large breed dog is perceived to be aggressive and owners who do not realize this tendency can result in unexpected injuries. Does this mean that a breed can be singled out as more protective, not really? Any individual dog is a combination of breed, environment and public perception.
Environment
Just like humans, every dog is born with unique characteristics: breed, environment, health, training and owners. Many believe that Pit bulls are the result of bad owners, but since the majority of our claims are pits attacking other dogs, it isn’t because a dog has a bad owner. Instead, pit bulls were raised for centuries to fight other dogs. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the breed will go 8-10 years of their life without any incident then the right situation they go after that little dog. Often the owner of the small dog will react very defensively due to the public opinion that any pit is bad and the goal is to kill the little dog. The result is the owner is bitten because the attacking dog is trying to get to the small dog.
Are rates determined based on the above criteria? Yes, all of the factors are used to develop the premiums. Is it fair? Insurance premiums are based on facts. Unfortunately, if your dog is large, is a breed that is assumed to be dangerous with a known trigger, such as other animals and it is kept outside with little to no training, you will pay more than that aggressive Chihuahua.
About Dog Bite Quote
At Dean Insurance Agency, we’ve been providing protection to dog owners since 2012, with more than 10,000 policies issued. Our underwriting criteria and years of experience providing this coverage enables us to offer competitive and fair policy premiums. Our policies are available in every state except Alaska & Kentucky. The quote is free and there is NO obligation to purchase!
