In feral cattle, the cow isolates at birth and hides the calf during the first days. The cow seeks the calf for nursing 5–10 times/day. After some days the cow-calf pair joins the herd. Once calf age approaches 2 weeks, the calf will spend more time with its peers while seeking the cow for nursing and friendly interactions. The cow weans the calf around 7–10 mo of age during which the cow keeps close contact to the calf but gradually denies the calf to nurse. The concept of Animal Welfare, in which natural behavior is an important element, has been updated. Rather than emphasizing on survival, animals should now have “lives worth living” and a balance between negative and positive subjective experiences is emphasized. In parallel, many new solutions have been developed for modern dairy farms enabling calves to perform important elements of natural behavior which will be reviewed in this presentation. New knowledge on calf housing in terms of the importance of social group complexity now exists; from isolation in single pens through pair housing, housing in social groups and housing with the dam. Research on pair and group housing of dairy calves has revealed many important assets both for the calf and the farmer. Also, feeding management that closer resembles that of natural feeding of the calf has many benefits. New solutions also exist for housing the calf together with its dam. Flexibility in the cow-calf bond and weaning and separation methods resembling that of natural weaning allows for many alternatives for more contact between the cow and the calf.