Why Dog Owners Say Their Pups Are Better Than Their Partners
For many dog owners, the strongest emotional connection they feel isn’t with a spouse, sibling, or even a best friend—it’s with their four-legged companion.
A new study out of Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary reveals just how deep that bond goes, suggesting dogs might actually outshine human partners when it comes to satisfaction and emotional support.
A Unique Relationship That Rivals Human Bonds
Researchers asked over 700 dog owners to evaluate 13 traits of their relationship with their dog, alongside four key human relationships: a romantic partner, child, closest relative, and best friend.
The results? Dogs came out on top—or close to it—across nearly every category.
While the parent-child dynamic was seen as the most similar to the owner-dog relationship, the overall connection was described as a hybrid.
It blends the loving, nurturing aspects of caring for a child with the positive companionship typically found in friendships. Crucially, it also comes without the emotional baggage that often complicates human connections.
Fewer Fights, More Fun
What’s the biggest reason behind this exceptional bond? The study points to the absence of conflict.
Dog owners reported significantly fewer negative interactions with their pets than with any human partner—except maybe their best friend. Dogs don’t argue. They don’t hold grudges.
They don’t bring drama to the dinner table. And that predictability makes them an incredibly comforting presence.
Dr. Enikő Kubinyi, the senior author of the study, explained it best: “Dogs occupy a unique place in our social world—offering the emotional closeness of a child, the ease of a best friend, and the predictability of a relationship shaped by human control.”
Support, Loyalty, and Unconditional Love
The results showed that dogs provide more emotional support than any human partner, aside from children.
This support comes in the form of steady companionship, unwavering loyalty, and a nurturing bond that remains largely free from criticism or conflict. It’s a kind of emotional haven that’s hard to replicate in human relationships.
It’s also worth noting that dogs love without conditions. They don’t care about your job title, your bank balance, or how many mistakes you made this week.
That pure, uncomplicated affection is a major factor in why many owners rank their relationship with their dog so highly.
Humans Still Matter—But Dogs Add to the Picture
Interestingly, the study also found that people with strong human support systems actually reported stronger dog bonds—not weaker ones. This contradicts the idea that people turn to dogs as a substitute when their human relationships fall short.
Co-author Dorottya Ujfalussy clarified: “We expected that people with weak human relationships would rely more on their dogs for support, but our results contradict this.
In our sample, people did not seem to use dogs to compensate for insufficient support in their human relationships.”
Instead, dogs appear to complement our social lives. They enrich already meaningful human relationships rather than replacing them.
Why Dogs May Be the Ideal Companion
Let’s be honest—there’s something deeply satisfying about a relationship where you call the shots, yet still receive endless love and loyalty.
With dogs, owners maintain control over nearly every aspect of the relationship. They decide when to walk, what to feed, how to train, and where the dog sleeps.
That balance of power might seem one-sided, but it contributes to the consistency and stability of the bond. There are no messy arguments about compromise or misunderstandings. Just two species, coexisting with mutual trust and affection.
A Bond Like No Other
This study confirms what many dog lovers have always suspected: our relationships with dogs are emotionally rich, incredibly rewarding, and—yes—sometimes even better than those with other people.
From the boundless tail wags when we get home to the quiet comfort of a dog curled at our feet, the human-dog relationship is more than companionship.
It’s a deep, enduring connection built on trust, love, and a remarkable absence of negativity.
In a world where relationships can be messy and unpredictable, our dogs offer a kind of emotional clarity. No wonder so many people consider them their most satisfying relationship.
