Although genetics do play some part in determining whether a dog will bite, factors such as whether the dog is spayed or neutered, properly socialized, supervised, humanely trained, and safely confined play significantly greater roles. Responsible dog ownership of all breeds is the key to dog bite prevention. Some insurers have lists of breeds and crossbreeds that they will not insure. Some companies don't discriminate by breed. Dan Hattaway, an underwriting consultant for State Farm, says that the company doesn't even track how many of its home insurance policyholders own dogs.
Policyholders do have to answer questions about dogs on the application, however.
Specifically, the company wants to know if a dog has ever bitten anyone or if it has been trained for attack purposes. If it turns out that the dog has bitten someone, State Farm will want to know the circumstances surrounding the bite. Other factors the company looks at are the seriousness of the injury and whether the attack was provoked or unprovoked. Considering each case individually Hattaway gives this example. An Irish Setter gives birth to a litter of puppies.