Husky, Malamute and Akita Insurance: Which UK Insurers Cover Spitz Breeds and Their Lookalikes
We checked the excluded breeds lists of ten UK insurers. Huskies and malamutes are excluded by only one, Akitas by five, and lookalikes such as the Northern Inuit, Tamaskan and Utonagan by up to four. Plus the racing clauses that matter for sled and canicross dogs. Checked November 2026.
Published 8 November 2026
Huskies, malamutes and Akitas are all spitz breeds: thick-coated, wolf-like dogs bred for cold climates. Insurers treat them very differently. A Siberian husky can be insured with almost anyone. An Akita is excluded by half the market. And a husky lookalike such as a Northern Inuit or Utonagan can be harder to insure than either.
We checked the excluded breeds list and policy document of every insurer in our guide to the best pet insurance. We have no policy to sell you, and no insurer pays us.
The short answer
- Huskies and malamutes: nine of the ten cover them. Only Perfect Pet excludes them.
- Akitas: five of the ten exclude them, so your choice is roughly halved.
- Lookalikes and wolfdogs: the Northern Inuit, Tamaskan and Utonagan are each excluded by up to four insurers, and wolfdogs by most of them.
- If your dog races or pulls, check the racing clause. None of the ten policies says whether canicross or sled events count as racing.
Who covers what
This is what each insurer's excluded breeds list or policy document says, checked in November 2026. Every exclusion also covers dogs crossed with the breed.
| Breed | Excluded by |
|---|---|
| Siberian husky | Perfect Pet |
| Alaskan malamute | Perfect Pet |
| Samoyed | None of the ten |
| Akita (Japanese or American) | Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet, Purely Pets |
| Chow chow | Perfect Pet, Purely Pets |
| Korean jindo | Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet |
| Northern Inuit | Waggel, Perfect Pet, Purely Pets |
| Utonagan | Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet, Purely Pets |
| Tamaskan | Perfect Pet, Purely Pets |
| Czechoslovakian wolfdog, Saarloos wolfdog, wolf hybrids | Petplan, Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet, Post Office, Pets at Home |
Insurers with none of the spitz breeds on their lists: Agria, Petplan (apart from wolfdogs), ManyPets, Post Office (apart from wolfdogs) and Pets at Home (apart from wolfdogs). Agria's claims-against-you cover separately excludes the Czechoslovakian wolfdog, Saarloos wolfdog and wolf hybrids.
Lookalikes and crosses
The Northern Inuit, Tamaskan and Utonagan were bred to look like wolves. They are popular, but they are not Kennel Club breeds, and that causes two problems:
- They are on more excluded lists than the husky itself. Purely Pets and Perfect Pet exclude all three. A dog sold as a Northern Inuit could not be insured by three of the ten, even though a husky could be insured by nine.
- Some insurers only cover breeds in their quote form. Waggel's excluded breeds page says it does not cover "any dog breeds that don't appear during the quote process". If your dog's breed is not in the drop-down, do not pick the nearest match.
For a cross of uncertain background, an insurer may ask for proof. Animal Friends says it may ask for a DNA test at your cost if it is unsure. If the result shows more than 50% of an excluded breed, such as an Akita, it voids the policy back to your last renewal.
Declare the breed exactly as you know it. An insurer that finds the breed was given wrongly can refuse a claim or cancel the policy.
Racing, sledding and canicross
Many husky and malamute owners run their dogs in harness. Almost every policy excludes racing, and none of them says whether that includes sled events, canicross or bikejoring:
| Insurer | What its policy says |
|---|---|
| Agria | Excludes using your dog for racing, but says agility and flyball do not count as racing |
| Petplan | No cover if your dog is used for track racing or coursing |
| ManyPets | Does not cover pets used for racing |
| Waggel | Does not cover animals used or trained for racing |
| Petgevity | Does not cover dogs used for racing |
| Perfect Pet | Excludes racing "whether for business or recreational purposes" |
| Purely Pets | Excludes track racing |
| Post Office | Excludes claims where your dog has been used for racing |
| Pets at Home | Does not cover dogs trained for racing |
| Animal Friends | We found no racing exclusion in its lifetime booklet |
Pulling a person on a run is not the same as track racing, and many owners will be fine. But if you enter timed events, ask the insurer in writing before you buy whether an injury there would be covered. Perfect Pet's wording, which excludes racing even for fun, is the strictest.
How long these breeds live
A 2024 study of more than 584,000 UK dogs by McMillan and colleagues gives median lifespans for each breed. For comparison, the median for crossbreeds was 12.0 years.
| Breed | Median lifespan |
|---|---|
| Samoyed | 13.1 years |
| Chow chow | 12.1 years |
| Siberian husky | 11.9 years |
| Akita | 11.4 years |
| Alaskan malamute | 11.3 years |
That matters because of co-payments: most insurers make you pay a share of every claim from an age between 6 and 8. On a breed that lives around 11 years, a co-payment from 6 or 7 covers a third of its life. Our guide to pet insurance co-payments shows how to weigh that up.
Before you buy
- Check the breed, and any cross, against the insurer's excluded list.
- Make sure the exact breed appears in the quote form.
- If your dog runs in harness at events, get the insurer's answer on racing in writing.
- Choose lifetime cover with a limit that resets every year.
- Insure before the first vet check, so nothing is on record as pre-existing. Our guide to puppy insurance covers how.
Sources
- McMillan KM et al. Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports, 2024, supplementary table of median survival by breed
- Excluded breeds lists: ManyPets, Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity
- Policy documents: Agria lifetime dog policy, Petplan Covered For Life, ManyPets handbook for plans starting or renewing from 1 October 2026 from its handbooks page, Animal Friends £10,000 and £18,000 lifetime booklet, Waggel policy wording V22, Petgevity Lifetime Plus (July 2026), Perfect Pet lifetime policy wording (July 2026), Purely Pets policy wording, Post Office (P3324v9)
- Pets at Home: Pets Insurance policy wording (PETSPWLT0626), supplied by Pets at Home on request in October 2026
Excluded breeds lists, policy documents and the longevity study checked in November 2026. Insurers change their lists often, so always check before you buy.
Common questions
Can you get pet insurance for a husky?
Yes. Nine of the ten insurers in our guide cover the Siberian husky. Perfect Pet is the exception: it excludes huskies, Alaskan huskies and Alaskan malamutes, and any dog crossed with them.
Which insurers cover Akitas?
Half of the ten we checked. Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet and Purely Pets all exclude the Akita and its crosses. Agria, Petplan, ManyPets, Post Office and Pets at Home do not have it on their excluded lists.
Can I insure a Northern Inuit, Tamaskan or Utonagan?
With fewer insurers. Perfect Pet and Purely Pets exclude all three, Waggel excludes the Northern Inuit and Utonagan, and Petgevity excludes the Utonagan. Agria, Petplan, ManyPets, Animal Friends, Post Office and Pets at Home do not list them, but check the breed appears in the quote form.
Does pet insurance cover a husky that does canicross or sled racing?
Check before you buy. Almost every insurer excludes dogs used for racing, and none of the ten policies we read says whether canicross or sled events count. Agria says agility and flyball are not racing. Perfect Pet excludes racing even for recreation. Ask the insurer in writing.
Are wolfdogs covered by pet insurance?
Rarely. Czechoslovakian wolfdogs, Saarloos wolfdogs and wolf hybrids, and their crosses, are excluded by most of the ten insurers we checked, including Petplan, Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet, Post Office and Pets at Home.
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