Automatic teat treatment method and apparatus for carrying out a pre-or post-treatment operation on the teats of an individual dairy animal using a robot apparatus (1) with a control system (5) which robot is capable of carrying a teat treating device (12) on an arm (10) thereof, the method comprising the steps of initiating automatic detection of all the spatial teat positions of all n said teats of and individual animal at a pre-or posttreatment location and registering the spatial positions of all of the detected individual animals teats and deriving a dedicated treating action effective to move the treating device through a dedicated path defined by the registered spatial teat positions and initiating and carrying out the treating by movement of the treating device through the dedicated path. If not all of the relevant spatial positions of all animals teats are detected, then said method comprises the steps of either: registering the spatial position of each of the detected teats and deriving an adapted treating action effective to move the treating device through an adapted path defined by the registered spatial teat positions and by approximated spatial locations in lieu of the undetected teat positions, or, where no teat spatial positions have been detected: deriving a default treating action effective to move the treating device through a default treating path.
