The average Great Dane cost its owners £669.64 over its lifetime in stained carpets, ripped sofas and chewed cables, while chihuahuas notch up an impressive £638.41-worth of damage. Mastiffs came third, costing their owners £585.71 over a lifetime while Basset Hounds were found to cause £564.13 of damage on average. Finishing off the top five is the Whippet, which will leave a trail of destruction totalling £518.75. Other dogs with wrecking tendencies include English Setters, Bulldogs, Dachshunds and Boxers.
Among horror stories that emerged in the study was one about a Great Dane who thought the patio doors he was hurtling towards were open and knocked them straight out of the wall. Another owner told how his Border Collie's wagging tail knocked over a large glass of red wine onto a cream carpet, two days after it had been laid at a cost of £3,000.
The destructive scale was compiled by esure pet insurance following interviews with 3,000 dog owners. But its findings have left chihuahua up in arms.
"It's down to the owners, not the dogs," said Wendy Thorogood, 44, from Brighton. "You have got to let them know who's boss and what you say goes."
Sylvia Brady, 64, a chihuahua breeder from Sailsworth in Lancashire, said she would place hers well down the list. "Alright they can be quite feisty little things and they sometimes chew things and scratch wallpaper, but what dog doesn't?" she said.
Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting at esure pet insurance, said a dog's destructive tendencies comes down to boredom. "To help minimise your dog's destructive behaviour, remember to house train them from a very early age, maintain their health with regular vet check-ups, and give them plenty of exercise," he said.
How much damage has your dog wrought on your home?
[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]
My dog chewed on my splint (retainer) that was 2,000 because it was specially made for me and my TMJ. ugh! It was horrible!
ReplyDeleteThat's terrible - we've only had the basic damage, couches, carpets, etc., nothing too major!
ReplyDeleteI think that these statistics are a horrible representation of such a wonderful breed, the Great Dane. My husband and I have a 150 pound female named Stori, and she has never destroyed anything. I think it is important to remind dog owners that when they get a dog, they should "dog proof" their home. We don't put a glass of wine on a table where the dog's tail could knock it off, and we put up a child's gate when we leave the house to protect areas where the dog might accidentally knock things down. Our dane is wonderful, sweet, lazy and completely obedient. She loves our cats and our little nephews. She is great with other dogs and loves to accompany us with everything that she can, even going to bed at night. I wish that Dane's had not been labeled the most costly and destructive dogs, I will never own any other breed again, and I would recommend a Great Dane to anyone who is looking to bring a new friend into their life.
ReplyDeletemy great dane ripped up all our slippers and shoes, and he reads the newspapers and tears it up after that. Apart from that he climbed over to the neighbour's when a tree fell on our fence causing a big headache for us. When he was 6 months old, he climbed up our dinner table and snatched of a piece of our Christmas ham and finished it in 1 gulp. but apart from that we still love him a lot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comment about Great Danes NOT being destructive. I have 2 Great Danes brothers from the same litter and have had them since they were 12 weeks old. They like to lay on our couch and the bed, but despite all the pretty decorator pillows, they have yet to have even chewed on one. They have destroyed absolutely nothing in our home. They don't even destroy their toys, the stuffed animals get drooled on and that is about it. We have been watching my father's Beagle for the past several months and let me tell you, that dog is more destructive then my Danes by far. He eats absolutely everyting (and I mean everything...disgusting things) and there is no toy (especially a stuffed animal) safe once he gets a hold of it. He eats the eyes, nose and pulls out every piece of stuffing in less than 10 minutes. He likes to walk through the fireplace onto the beige carpeting...now that is a destructive dog ;)
ReplyDeleteDon't get us wrong. We love Great Danes (and Chihuahuas and Mastifs, and, well, every other breed on the planet...) This article was posted because we thought it was a fun statistic, and a great testament to all the couches and shoes and glassware that we're willing to sacrifice in the name of love ;-)
ReplyDeleteObviously some one dosen't like dogs at your company. I have had four Danes in my life and none of them would put up with the likes of you or your pinhead insurance morons. They were all my friends with proper training and had the best lives I could give them. Since you don't seem to know the least bit about any dogs I doubt I will be buying anything from you idiots. Good Luck, PS. watch Cesar Milan
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have a great dane and yes he is wonderful when we are alone with him but when we leave the house he is the WORST DOG in the world. He chewed through the bathroom door, ate a bottle of tylenol, a bottle of Vitamin C, shampoo, two bars of soap, broke the toilet seat to get water, ate an entire wooden hair brush and a bottle of lotion all within an 8 hour time frame. When we bring him to my mothers he jumps up on the table and will eat ANYTHING he can get. He is the worst dog around other people and dogs. No matter how hard we train him he just does not listen. I will admit they are a sweet breed but I would never reccomend one to ANYONE!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention above that we left him with three dog bones and two of his favorite chew toys but he decided not to touch those and eat our stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have a great Dane puppy--got him at five months old. He just turned a year and has probably destroyed about $1500 worth of stuff...so far. That does include a couch, sixteen pairs of shoes, my roommate's childhood doll, etc... i DO, however, partially blame ownership. If you don't have time to spend with them, DON'T GET THEM. I don't know about them being the most destructive dogs, but they probably do require the most time....He is a great dog, if he had an owner who actually spent the necessary time training him. They are very sweet, loyal and friendly dogs.
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