4 September 2008

Great danes are more likely to cause damage in the family home than any other breed, new research indicates.

A study by esure, pet insurance providers, found that up to 66 of pet owners have had to pay for repairs in their home due to items being chewed, broken or damaged by their pets.

Great danes were revealed to lead to £670 worth of repairs during their lifetime while the second most destructive breed was the chihuahua which caused £638 worth of damage.

Mike Pickard, from esure, was shocked that the small breed came in at second place.

"It is not surprising that the Great Dane is number one. Its sheer weight and size is bound to lead to accidents in the home," he said.

"What's more surprising is the tiny chihuahua in second place; it's amazing that the smallest of the toy breeds can cause so much havoc."

Mr Pickard recommends regular exercise for pets in order to prevent them getting bored and becoming destructive.

Recently an 11-week-old puppy caused a fire in his owner's home after biting into an aerosol can.