Great Danes & Chihuahuas Most Destructive Dogs

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]