Arfmani for pampered pooches!

Designer coats and cologne are among the most popular luxuries lavished on dogs by their owners, with new figures revealing £2.2 billion is spent every year on pampering pets.

Trips to the grooming parlour, treats and even Christmas gifts add up to £436.54 spent by the average British dog owner every year. A whopping £372.32 of that goes on food treats and another £31.65 on visits to the grooming parlour annually.

Doggy accessories, such as clothes and luxury collars, add another £25.94, and most people will splash out at least £6.63 on a Christmas gift.

Joce Evans, director of Klassy Kanine, based at Park Road East, West Park, Wolverhampton, said owners were spending more today than ever on man's best friend.

"We've been going for several years and have certainly noticed an increase in business," she said. "We are usually booked three weeks in advance.

"Poodles are the most expensive to groom and need to be seen most frequently. It costs £35 a time and needs doing every six to eight weeks, which can cost more than £300 a year.

"We also sell a range of products on demand from dog food to clothes and designer perfumes such as 'Arfmani'."

Jacky Brown, head of esure Pet Insurance which commissioned a poll of 1,500 dog owners to come up with the figures, said: ''It's staggering to think we spend so much money on our dogs but to some people, they really are part of the family.''

Brits also spend an average of an hour and 15 minutes cuddling and stroking their pooch every day, often while watching their favourite TV programme.

More than a third of people reckon they spend more time cuddling their dog than they do their partner, and 22 per cent even admit to showing their pet more affection than their own children.

It also seems dogs no longer have to sleep in a garden kennel, with 44 per cent of owners letting their pooch lie on the bedroom floor and half have let their pet join them in bed.

Even walking is too much for some molly-cuddled canines, with 17 per cent of owners admitting to carrying their beloved dogs to save them from getting tired.

Twenty-seven per cent of people arrange holidays around their pets and stay in the UK to save having to put them into kennels, while 28 per cent leave events early to get back to their faithful companion.