Dog Insurance by Breed

Compare pet insurance costs, health risks, and coverage recommendations for 213+ dog breeds. Each guide includes average vet costs, monthly premium ranges, and common conditions.

Why Breed Matters More Than Anything Else

Dog insurance premiums range from $24/month to $111/month— a 4.6x difference driven almost entirely by breed. Your dog's size category is the primary cost factor: toy breeds average $48/month, small breeds $57/month, medium breeds $57/month, large breeds $65/month, and giant breeds $78/month. But within each category, breed-specific health risks create significant variation.

The Pekingese — a small breed weighing just 7–14 pounds — carries the highest premium of any breed at $111/month, driven by its combination of brachycephalic syndrome, eye vulnerabilities, and spinal conditions. Meanwhile, the Great Dane — one of the largest breeds — pays just $64/month. Size sets the baseline; breed-specific genetics determine the final price.

Cost by Size Category

We analyzed pricing across all 213dog breeds in our database. Here's how costs break down by the five size tiers:

Toy breeds (20 breeds): $24–$65/month, averaging $48. The most affordable tier, but don't underestimate the costs — luxating patella surgery ($1,500–$3,000) and dental disease are common across toy breeds. Breeds like the Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terrier fall here.

Small breeds (42 breeds): $37–$111/month, averaging $57. The widest range of any tier, thanks to the Pekingese outlier. Most small breeds cluster between $37–$65. The Beagle, Boston Terrier, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are typical examples.

Medium breeds (55 breeds): $24–$80/month, averaging $57. The healthiest breeds in the dataset live here — the Australian Cattle Dog at the low end combines a clean genetic profile with an active lifestyle. The Bulldog sits at the high end, paying a brachycephalic premium.

Large breeds (67 breeds): $39–$97/month, averaging $65. This is where hip dysplasia becomes a dominant factor — it affects 155 breeds, but large breeds account for the majority of costly surgical cases. The Labrador Retriever ($64/month) and Golden Retriever ($65/month) are the benchmarks.

Giant breeds (29 breeds): $60–$100/month, averaging $78. The Newfoundland ($100/month) leads the tier. Giant breeds have the highest average vet costs ($1,700–$2,040/year) and the shortest lifespans. Insurance shows the strongest positive return for this tier — see our break-even analysis for the math.

The Health Conditions Driving Costs

Three conditions dominate the canine health landscape: hip dysplasia (affects 155 breeds, surgery $5,000–$7,000), hypothyroidism (104 breeds, ongoing medication $200–$600/year), and allergies (84 breeds, chronic treatment $500–$2,000/year). A breed prone to all three faces significantly higher lifetime costs than one with a clean genetic profile.

Each breed page below includes the specific conditions your breed is predisposed to, along with treatment costs and insurance coverage details. For a complete list of conditions with costs, see our health conditions directory.

Choosing the Right Coverage

For large and giant breeds, we recommend unlimited coverage with an 80% reimbursement rate — the math consistently favors insurance for these size categories. For toy and small breeds, the decision is more nuanced — read our complete guide to choosing pet insurance for the seven factors to compare. For specific pricing data across all breeds and size tiers, see our 2026 cost guide.

French Bulldog

$89–$112/mo5 conditions

medium · 24–31 lbs

Labrador Retriever

$74–$93/mo5 conditions

large · 55–71 lbs

Golden Retriever