by Kate Manning

Created on: January 29, 2011   Last Updated: January 31, 2011

An insurance company may feel an animal high risk when they feel it could result in a liability or incident. With pet insurance, they consider some dogs of a larger breed, with a reputation for bad temperaments, a high risk. Therefore they are less inclined to provide coverage, or they may charge higher rates for insuring them.

So what breeds are considered the most high risk to pet insurance companies?

Pit Bull.

Probably one of the top dog breeds considered high risk is the Pit Bull. They have gained great notoriety over the years, as they were once used for dog fighting - and still are illegally. Many dog fighters would breed the most vicious together, in the hopes of creating wildly aggressive and ferocious dogs, that would fight to the death. Some speculate that due to this breeding, the Pit Bull has a ‘weakness’ in its brain that causes it to snap for no apparent reason, often attacking, and sometimes killing, people.

There are however, still many good people who own Pit Bulls as pets or show dogs. These dogs can be sweet, but they are considered unpredictable, and therefore insurance rates can be amongst the highest.

Akita.

The Akita was originally bred in Japan, and was used for the hunting of large game including bears. This dog is stocky and strong and highly intelligent. While widely considered a very loyal and personable dog, they can sometimes become aggressive and destructive if they lack something to do and keep their minds stimulated. They may also be hostile toward other dogs or smaller animals. Therefore, responsible and interactive ownership is a must with this breed. Insurance companies cannot know which owners will be able to control this type of dog, and so they do fall under the higher risk category.

Rottweiler.

Rottweilers are well known for their sheer strength and bulky size and because of this, they are considered a high risk by insurance carriers. If a Rottweiler were to attack they could seriously hurt people with their powerful 300+ lb bite. They ranked high on the list of fatal attacks in the late 1990’s and although a very loyal guard dog, they may attack if they feel their territory is being invaded or their owners are under threat.

Insurance companies feel that the Rottweiler poses too much of a potential risk for them to omit them from their high risk list.

Doberman Pinscher.

The Doberman Pinscher has always been associated with a certain threatening demeanor. They have been used

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>