They call it ‘puppy love’ and the results of a new survey could reveal why UK puppy owners hug their new puppies more than anyone else in their family, including their children!

An astonishing 86% of respondents admitted spending more time playing with their puppy than they did with their own children, while a staggering 95% were more likely to give their puppies a cuddle at the end of a long day than their partners or friends, proving we really are a nation of dog lovers.

The ‘puppology’ survey of 1,450 puppy owners across the UK, carried out by Bonio Puppy Milk a new nutritious treat with real milk specially formulated for puppies, set out to see how owners interacted with their puppy and whether they understood the huge benefits that rewards, hugs and affection can have during puppy training.

And, given the number of hugs they are getting, it seems the results couldn’t be better for the nation’s dogs with leading animal behaviourist Dr Peter Neville insisting that just like children, puppies need a strong emotional involvement and lots of affection from their adoptive ‘parents’ in order to develop and grow into well behaved adults.

“With 65% of puppy owners across the UK believing that hugs are important to their puppy’s development, it’s clear from the Bonio Puppy Milk survey that owners spend a lot of time showering affection on, and spending time with their new puppy which is great news.

However, there are number of ways that puppy owners can channel this affection during training to ensure their puppy will grow into a happy, balanced, well behaved adult.

While routine and training sessions are obviously important, owners will find that they can achieve the desired results in the shortest amount of time by building a relationship through rewarding puppies for their good behaviour.

This can be with physical affection such as hugs, vocal praise and wholesome treat rewards. Reward based training will allow a dog to learn quickly and will make training more fun and enjoyable for everyone concerned” he said.

The survey also revealed:

The luck of the Irish rings true for dogs too: Puppies in Northern Ireland are likely to be the happiest in the land with 50% of Irish puppy owners rewarding their puppy with a hug more than once a day for good behaviour, compared to almost a third of Londoners who only hug their puppies once a week

Liverpudlians devote the most amount of their time to their pups: 38% spend up to 6 hours with their canine companions each day compared to those from Yorkshire, where 30% admit to spending a mere 30 minutes a day with their puppy

Hugs help heal: 95% of all respondents admit that hugging their puppy at the end of a long day provides more comfort and relaxation than a glass of wine, cup of tea or hug from their partner

Hugs aren’t just for humans: 84% of all respondents felt their puppies enjoyed being hugged and responded positively.