Want to save money on dog insurance? Get a Border terrier
Sturdy Border terriers cost just £17 a month to insure, whilst English and French bulldogs are a whopping £50 plus, reports Charlotte Peters
![Border terrier](https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/20180927_DanbyAJH_1376_252105452_375674101-e1686217098526.jpg)
Border Terrier
If you don’t want to spend a fortune on dog insurance, then get a Border terrier. Insuring Borders costs around £214 annually according to a new study. Some Borders have even been seen in the beating line. (Read more on terriers in the beating line here.)
![Border terrier](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/12/Jumping-dog-Pg-33.jpg)
Quite a few owners of well-trained gun dogs have a Border terrier tucked away somewhere
Owners of more conventional working dog breeds can expect to pay a bit more. Around £31 a month for lab, £23 for a springer spaniel and £22 for a cocker spaniel. Given a spaniel’s propensity to dive through brambles, push through hedges and generally leap about, having insurance to cover injuries in the field can be a sound financial decision.
Best avoided
But the dogs best avoided if you want to avoid a hefty insurance premium are the brachycephalic breeds such as pugs, English bulldogs and the fashionable French bulldog. An English bulldog and a French bulldog will cost the owners £66 and £54 respectively to insure monthly (over £650 a year).
![dog insurance costs by breed](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-07-at-10.47.49.png)
Table compiled by A Plan Insurance
Shooting UK spoke to vet Neil McIntosh who said: “Anything that normal dogs get brachycephalic dogs get worse. They have more skin problems, ear problems, respiratory problems and locomotion problems. About 30% of pugs have abnormal spines. However all dogs are flawed one way or another. Even labs get allergic skin diseases.
![puppies with mother](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/06/puppies-.jpg)
Always look at the mother of puppies to see how healthy she is
“The rule is always to see a puppy with the mother. This is more to assess the mother than the puppy. Have a good look at her. Can she walk properly? Is her skin ok? Is she scratching?” (Read more advice on how to choose a puppy.)
Is insurance necessary?
So should dog owners insure? Neil adds: “Of course insurance depends on financial circumstances whether you do it or not. But if you can’t afford a very large bill then the principle is to get insured.” (Read more on gundog insurance here.)
The study was carried out by specialists at A Plan Insurance who analysed data to discover the average monthly cost for different dog breeds in the UK.