Dr. Karolina Westlund

So you might do that for a few seconds and then you remove your hand to see, does the animal enjoy this and will they then reinitiate that contact or not? Or will they move away? And I have this issue with my cat now that he is not very, he doesn't sort of enjoy petting as much as I do petting him. So I have to be really mindful that I really offer him the chance to say no thanks.

And I also think that that nice, slow stroke, if you're sort of in a calm, emotional state yourself, Then we might tap into another interesting emotion theory, which is the polyvagal theory and this concept of co-regulation. So if you're really calm and relaxed, then you're sort of sending out these cues, these signals.

And I also think that that nice, slow stroke, if you're sort of in a calm, emotional state yourself, Then we might tap into another interesting emotion theory, which is the polyvagal theory and this concept of co-regulation. So if you're really calm and relaxed, then you're sort of sending out these cues, these signals.

And I also think that that nice, slow stroke, if you're sort of in a calm, emotional state yourself, Then we might tap into another interesting emotion theory, which is the polyvagal theory and this concept of co-regulation. So if you're really calm and relaxed, then you're sort of sending out these cues, these signals.

subtle cues that other individuals are reading and picking up on and it seems that we do that with vis-a-vis also our dogs and certainly also horses it seems so that just being calm and relaxed yourself can really help relax the dog And what you say about the fast petting or patting really makes sense to me.

subtle cues that other individuals are reading and picking up on and it seems that we do that with vis-a-vis also our dogs and certainly also horses it seems so that just being calm and relaxed yourself can really help relax the dog And what you say about the fast petting or patting really makes sense to me.

subtle cues that other individuals are reading and picking up on and it seems that we do that with vis-a-vis also our dogs and certainly also horses it seems so that just being calm and relaxed yourself can really help relax the dog And what you say about the fast petting or patting really makes sense to me.

I know there is one study in horses that show that if you pat a horse, many horses find that aversive. So in other words, it's something that they'll work to avoid. And yet that is often how we try to reward them when they do something that we want. They do enjoy wither scratching. So back at the nape of the mane, if you scratch them there, they'll typically enjoy that.

I know there is one study in horses that show that if you pat a horse, many horses find that aversive. So in other words, it's something that they'll work to avoid. And yet that is often how we try to reward them when they do something that we want. They do enjoy wither scratching. So back at the nape of the mane, if you scratch them there, they'll typically enjoy that.

I know there is one study in horses that show that if you pat a horse, many horses find that aversive. So in other words, it's something that they'll work to avoid. And yet that is often how we try to reward them when they do something that we want. They do enjoy wither scratching. So back at the nape of the mane, if you scratch them there, they'll typically enjoy that.

But I would say that different animals, different individuals will have these individual preferences and just trying to see what they like. And perhaps also if you're offering your hands like this, they might even scoot around to show you which body part they want scratched once they learn the rules of that communication.

But I would say that different animals, different individuals will have these individual preferences and just trying to see what they like. And perhaps also if you're offering your hands like this, they might even scoot around to show you which body part they want scratched once they learn the rules of that communication.

But I would say that different animals, different individuals will have these individual preferences and just trying to see what they like. And perhaps also if you're offering your hands like this, they might even scoot around to show you which body part they want scratched once they learn the rules of that communication.

Bum scratching is a big thing for many animals. Yeah.

Bum scratching is a big thing for many animals. Yeah.

Bum scratching is a big thing for many animals. Yeah.

That's like Pandora's box there, right there.

That's like Pandora's box there, right there.

That's like Pandora's box there, right there.

Yeah. So first of all, I think that actually we often do walk up to stranger dogs that we never met before. We're like, hi, can I pet him? And then we start patting on top of the animal's head.