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Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Dog and horse liability

Does dog liability insurance pay if the dog was not on a leash?

In short

Yes, as a rule. German dog liability insurance pays even if the dog was not on a leash. Under section 103 of the Insurance Contract Act the insurer is only free from paying if you caused the damage intentionally. A forgotten or skipped leash is not intent. It can cut the payout if your policy has a leash or muzzle condition and you breached it with gross negligence.

Does dog liability insurance pay if the dog was not on a leash?

What it costs

Premiums for dog liability insurance in Germany, 2026.

ExampleTypical range
Basic tariff with deductiblefrom about EUR 35 a year
No deductible, EUR 10 million coverabout EUR 50 to 70 a year
Premium tariff with high coverabout EUR 100 to 150 a year
Listed breedoften EUR 150 a year and more

Guide values as of October 2026 from published tariff examples.

The listed breed figure and the amounts in the example are guide values from our quoting practice;

we obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Dog off the leash runs onto a cycle path

Your dog runs free in a park with a leash rule. It runs onto the cycle path, a cyclist falls and breaks her wrist.

Treatment and lost earningsabout EUR 6,000
Pain and sufferingabout EUR 3,000 to 5,000
Payment without a leash conditionin full by your insurer
Fine for breaking the leash rulepaid by you

The cyclist is compensated in full. The fine stays with you. The amounts are guide values from our quoting practice.

Why a missing leash does not cost you cover

Liability insurance has its own rule: under section 103 of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG) the insurer does not have to pay only if you caused the damage to the third party intentionally and unlawfully. Letting the dog run free is not an intention to cause harm. Even gross negligence leaves the cover in place under this section.

When the insurer can cut the payout

Some policies require you to follow official orders such as a leash or muzzle requirement, especially for listed breeds. That is a contractual obligation. If you breach it with gross negligence, section 28 VVG lets the insurer reduce the payout according to the degree of fault; with intent it can refuse.

It must still pay as far as the breach did not cause the damage. A leash might have stopped the dog reaching a cyclist; when a child strokes the dog and is bitten, the leash often makes no difference.

Policy and situationResult
No leash condition, dog off leashfull payment
Leash condition, slight negligencefull payment
Leash condition, gross negligence and causalreduction possible
Dog deliberately set on a personno payment, intent

Towards the injured person little changes

You are liable as keeper under section 833 BGB anyway, leash or not. The injured person gets their damage paid. The missing leash matters most when shares are weighed: if only your dog was off the leash in a dog fight, your share rises.

Fines are never insured

Where a leash rule applies, a breach is usually an administrative offence under state or local law. You pay the fine yourself. After a bite incident the authority can also order a leash or muzzle for your dog.

When you do not need to worry

If your policy has no leash condition and there was no intent, the insurer pays. Check the terms mainly if you keep a listed breed or the authority has imposed conditions.

Step by step

  1. Look for leash or muzzle conditions in your policy.
  2. Check local leash rules with your town.
  3. Report any incident at once and honestly.
  4. State whether the dog was on a leash.
  5. If the payout is cut, ask for the reasons in writing.

Checklist

  • Policy without a strict leash condition, or the condition known
  • Local leash rules known
  • Long line for unclear paths
  • Reliable recall
  • Official conditions for a listed breed documented

Common mistakes

  • Not reporting an incident out of fear about the leash
  • Telling the insurer the dog was leashed when it was not
  • Sending the fine to the liability insurer
  • Ignoring official conditions

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does the insurance pay if the dog ran free in the woods?

Yes, without intent.

An agreed leash condition can lead to a cut for gross negligence.

Is gross negligence an exclusion?

Not under section 103 VVG, which only names intent.

A cut is only possible through an agreed obligation under section 28 VVG.

What if the dog pulled free?

Then it was on a leash and there is usually no breach.

Must I say the dog was off the leash?

Yes, truthfully.

False statements after a claim can cost you cover, the missing leash usually does not.

Are there policies without a leash condition?

That depends on the policy terms.

We check them before you sign.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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Dog and horse liability insurance in Germany (Tierhalterhaftpflicht)

For example Labrador, mixed breed about 20 kg, leisure horse

For example horse sharer, dog sports, dog walker, moving from abroad

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Related questions

Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT.

Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act.

Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company.

It does not arrange your contract.

Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated

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