diff --git a/pygmt/clib/session.py b/pygmt/clib/session.py
index 6e5a62b69d8..bb8e294351b 100644
--- a/pygmt/clib/session.py
+++ b/pygmt/clib/session.py
@@ -834,8 +834,11 @@ def _check_dtype_and_dim(self, array, ndim):
         # Check that the array has a valid/known data type
         if array.dtype.type not in DTYPES:
             try:
-                # Try to convert any unknown numpy data types to np.datetime64
-                array = array_to_datetime(array)
+                if array.dtype.type is np.object_:
+                    # Try to convert unknown object type to np.datetime64
+                    array = array_to_datetime(array)
+                else:
+                    raise ValueError
             except ValueError as e:
                 raise GMTInvalidInput(
                     f"Unsupported numpy data type '{array.dtype.type}'."
diff --git a/pygmt/tests/test_clib_put_vector.py b/pygmt/tests/test_clib_put_vector.py
index e9da9e6242a..09a4235298b 100644
--- a/pygmt/tests/test_clib_put_vector.py
+++ b/pygmt/tests/test_clib_put_vector.py
@@ -170,16 +170,26 @@ def test_put_vector_invalid_dtype():
     """
     Check that it fails with an exception for invalid data types.
     """
-    with clib.Session() as lib:
-        dataset = lib.create_data(
-            family="GMT_IS_DATASET|GMT_VIA_VECTOR",
-            geometry="GMT_IS_POINT",
-            mode="GMT_CONTAINER_ONLY",
-            dim=[2, 3, 1, 0],  # columns, rows, layers, dtype
-        )
-        data = np.array([37, 12, 556], dtype="object")
-        with pytest.raises(GMTInvalidInput):
-            lib.put_vector(dataset, column=1, vector=data)
+    for dtype in [
+        np.bool_,
+        np.bytes_,
+        np.csingle,
+        np.cdouble,
+        np.clongfloat,
+        np.half,
+        np.longdouble,
+        np.object_,
+    ]:
+        with clib.Session() as lib:
+            dataset = lib.create_data(
+                family="GMT_IS_DATASET|GMT_VIA_VECTOR",
+                geometry="GMT_IS_POINT",
+                mode="GMT_CONTAINER_ONLY",
+                dim=[2, 3, 1, 0],  # columns, rows, layers, dtype
+            )
+            data = np.array([37, 12, 556], dtype=dtype)
+            with pytest.raises(GMTInvalidInput, match="Unsupported numpy data type"):
+                lib.put_vector(dataset, column=1, vector=data)
 
 
 def test_put_vector_wrong_column():