{"id":1471,"date":"2026-08-24T09:30:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lighteningweightloss.com\/dogtraining\/?p=1471"},"modified":"2026-08-24T09:30:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:30:54","slug":"what-pets-actually-want-need-dr-karolina-westlund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lighteningweightloss.com\/dogtraining\/?p=1471","title":{"rendered":"What Pets Actually Want &amp; Need | Dr. Karolina Westlund"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6ck9fa6_C8c\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>My guest is Dr. Karolina Westlund, Ph.D., a professor of ethology at the University of Stockholm and an expert in animal emotions and behavior who uses science-based methods to improve the lives of animals in human care. We discuss the often overlooked needs of domesticated animals\u2014primarily dogs and cats\u2014and the things we can do to improve their well-being and our relationship with them.<\/p>\n<p>We cover how to interpret animal body language, the unique needs of specific dog breeds, and the needs of cats and birds. We also discuss the pros and cons of spaying and neutering and how weaning age impacts a pet\u2019s attachment style. Whether you\u2019re a pet owner, trainer, or simply an animal lover, this episode teaches you how specific pet behaviors are rooted in their immutable biology\u2014and the simple things you can do to vastly improve your pets\u2019 health and well-being, as well as your relationship with them.<\/p>\n<p>Read the episode show notes: https:\/\/go.hubermanlab.com\/mBbm5nJ<\/p>\n<p>*Thank you to our sponsors*<br \/>\nAG1: \u2060https:\/\/drinkag1.com.hubermn<br \/>\nOur Place: \u2060https:\/\/fromourplace.com\/huberman<br \/>\nEight Sleep: \u2060https:\/\/eightsleep.com\/huberman<br \/>\nJoovv: \u2060https:\/\/joovv.com\/huberman<br \/>\nFunction: \u2060https:\/\/functionhealth.com\/huberman<\/p>\n<p>*Follow Huberman Lab*<br \/>\nInstagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hubermanlab<br \/>\nThreads: https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@hubermanlab<br \/>\nX: https:\/\/twitter.com\/hubermanlab<br \/>\nFacebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hubermanlab<br \/>\nTikTok: https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@hubermanlab<br \/>\nLinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/andrew-huberman<br \/>\nWebsite: https:\/\/www.hubermanlab.com<br \/>\nNewsletter: https:\/\/www.hubermanlab.com\/newsletter<\/p>\n<p>*Dr. Karolina Westlund*<br \/>\nWebsite: https:\/\/illis.se\/en<br \/>\nOnline courses: https:\/\/illis.se\/en\/courses-menu<br \/>\nBlog: https:\/\/illis.se\/en\/blog<br \/>\nFacebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/illis.se<br \/>\nLinkedIn: https:\/\/se.linkedin.com\/in\/karolina-westlund-friman <\/p>\n<p>*Timestamps*<br \/>\n00:00:00 Karolina Westlund<br \/>\n00:02:19 Students &amp; Animal Species; Horses<br \/>\n00:06:36 Dog Breeds &amp; Interaction, Predatory Sequence, Smell, Domestication<br \/>\n00:12:42 Sponsors: Our Place &amp; Eight Sleep<br \/>\n00:16:09 Dog Breeds &amp; Domestication, Bulldogs<br \/>\n00:20:16 Core Affect Space, Petting, Tool: Consent Test; Polyvagal Theory<br \/>\n00:27:53 Space, Dominance, Resources, Leash Walking; Dog-Owner Training<br \/>\n00:37:13 Tail Wagging &amp; Interpreting Body Signals, Facial Expressions<br \/>\n00:43:24 Play Bow, Tool: MARS &amp; Playing; Dogs &amp; Empathy<br \/>\n00:48:39 Sponsors: AG1 &amp; Joovv<br \/>\n00:51:46 Fairness, Social Groups; Anthropomorphism vs Anthropodenial<br \/>\n00:57:45 Cats, Hunting, Bring Gifts?, Interaction &amp; Socialization<br \/>\n01:03:56 Scent &amp; Territorial Marking; Covering Waste, Tool: Litter Box Placement<br \/>\n01:08:17 \u201cPee Mail\u201d &amp; Communication; Wolves, Domestication<br \/>\n01:11:54 Zoos, Conservation; Tigers<br \/>\n01:18:53 Sponsor: Function<br \/>\n01:20:41 Stalking; Birds, Parrots<br \/>\n01:25:22 Nose Work, Wildlife Chasing, Tool: Dog Feeding &amp; Challenge<br \/>\n01:31:01 Understanding &amp; Choosing Dog for Your Lifestyle, Tool: Introducing Cats<br \/>\n01:34:27 Recognizing Self vs Other, Inbreeding Avoidance, Imprinting<br \/>\n01:40:51 Imprinting vs Attachment Bonds; Dogs, Weaning &amp; Secure Attachment<br \/>\n01:48:36 Spaying &amp; Neutering, Hormones, Tool: Neutering Alternatives<br \/>\n01:57:07 Humans as Animals, Tools, Cultural Learning<br \/>\n02:02:47 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify &amp; Apple Follow &amp; Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Disclaimer &amp; Disclosures: https:\/\/www.hubermanlab.com\/disclaimer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My guest is Dr. Karolina Westlund, Ph.D., a professor of ethology at the University of Stockholm and an expert in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lighteningweightloss.com\/dogtraining\/?p=1471\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Pets Actually Want &amp; 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