Three in 10 Manchester women 'get more affection from pets than partners'

A further 19% wished that their partner was as happy to see them as their pet, the survey from Burns Pet Nutrition revealed.

Two in ten women also said they wished that their other half was as trusting as their dog.

The new research from Burns Pet Nutrition has found a third of the nation’s men leave much to be desired when it comes to keeping their other halves happy.

Fed-up wives and girlfriends say their dog is more dependable than their man - and one in 10 think their pooch smells better too.

The chief complaints for a third of women were that their partner was less affectionate (31%) and less loyal (31%) than the family dog.

A third of women (31%) wished their man was ‘always happy to see them’ and a quarter (25%) said their pooch, unlike their partner, was "always there when they needed them".

And, a fifth of women said their four-legged friend was better at ‘cheering them up’ (21%) while another fifth (21%) said their pet was more ‘thoughtful’ than their other half.

Worse still for Britain’s beleaguered blokes, one in 10 women wished their partner was as ‘clean and nice smelling’ (16%) as the dog while one in 10 said Rover had better manners (11%).

The survey, commissioned by the healthy dog and cat food firm, asked 2,000 dog-lovers to compare their pet to their partner.

Men, in contrast, were far more satisfied with their partner than their pooch - their main gripe being they wished their partner was more ‘trusting’ of them than faithful Fido.

Laura Crotch-Harvey, nutrition manager at Burns Pet Nutrition, said: “The old adage about ‘man’s best friend’ needs an update. These findings suggest that dog is now very much ‘woman’s best friend’.”