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Test your Lassie Lore Knowledge

In my role as host of the radio show, OH BEHAVE! on Pet Life Radio (www.petliferadio.com), I get the chance to chat with "top dogs" in the pet world. One delightful guest was Jon Provost, perhaps you knew him better as "Timmy" on the 1960s TV show, Lassie.
Timmy is all grown up. In fact, he turns 60 next year. On my show, he separated Lassie fact from fiction, including:
* Timmy never did fall in a well during the entire run of the series. He got in a lot of jams that required rescuing from Lassie, but never in a well.
* All 9 Lassies who took on the starring role were related and none of them were females. All were males. I guess with the long Collie coat, it is nearly impossible to "check under the hood" to do a gender check.
* Provost was the second boy to star in Lassie. The first was written out of the storyline as college-bound so that a younger boy could take on the role.
* Cloris Leachman preceded June Lockhart in the role of mom. Cloris didn't want to be typecast as a tired, old farmer's wife and quit the show after a couple seasons.

To learn more, I invite you to "tune in" to OH BEHAVE on Pet Life Radio - the episode that we feature Jon Provost. It's easy. You can listen directly from your computer or download for free on iTunes.

What's, that, Lassie? Timmy's in trouble - again? Gotta go for now!

Arden unleashes tips to Marley-proof your dog

Marley…and me. Yes, I had the joy – and frustration – of knowing the real Marley. That goofy, rambunctious Labrador retriever made famous in the bestseller penned by his owner, John Grogan and on the big screen in a movie headlined by Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson and a pack of Marley lookalikes.

For nine years, John and I worked in the Delray Beach newsroom of The Sun-Sentinel in South Florida. As a metro columnist, Grogan amused and annoyed Palm Beach County residents with his writings. I did my best to keep educators focused on the task of spending our tax money wisely as a senior reporter.

One Sunday, the Grogans invited some of us to their West Palm Beach home for an outdoor cookout. At the time, Marley was reveling in his terrible twos. Quite the gardener, John wanted to show his blooming success to us. Then I heard what sounded like a team of Clydesdales in full gallop – Marley. Sporting a wide grin and muddy paws, he rounded the corner after gutting the garden like a furry, frenzied roto tiller. John was not pleased. Marley was.

I share this with you because my Marley connection continues. When I completed my 17th pet book in 2006 – entitled The Dog Behavior Answer Book: Practical Insights & Proven Solutions for Your Canine Questions – I had only one person in mind to write its foreword: John Grogan. Who else but the owner of the world’s so-called worst dog. Happily, John agreed and admitted that “Marley wasn’t the worst dog, only one of the worst trained dogs.”

Today, as a pet expert, I help people all over the country learn how to “Marley-proof” their dogs. Let me unleash five ways to make your life more harmonious with your dog:

• Be consistent. During training sessions with your dog, decide on what verbal cues and hand signals you want to use for basic commands like “come,” “sit,” and “stay” – and stick with them. Don’t say “get over here” when you are trying to reinforce “come” to your dog.
• Be concise. Avoid mindless chatter. Dogs understand simple, imperative sentences, such as, “Marley, sit.” Don’t keep rattling sit, sit, sit because smart dogs will learn to “ignore” you until they hear “sit” repeated say, 12 times.
• Stick with small reward treats. Treats should be itty bitty - just enough for your dog to bite once and swallow. This keeps your dog’s attention on you.
• Think Las Vegas, baby. By that I mean offer praise, a small treat or surprise him with a heap of treats. This is called intermittent reinforcement. Just like those playing slot machines in hope of delivering a jackpot, your dog will be determined to work harder in hopes of reaping a tasty jackpot.
• Praise the good and ignore the bad. Distract your dog when performing a misdeed (like chewing your leather shoe), divert him toward a desired behavior (offer a chew toy) and then praise and reward.

John was right. Marley wasn’t the world’s worst dog. But hopefully, his legacy will inspire pet people here in South Florida and beyond to bring out the best in their canine pals.

Betty White is truly a golden girl for pets

At 87 years young, Betty White has achieved success in her two favorite passions: a love for acting and a love for animals. This six-time Emmy winner just returned form shooting the upcoming movie, “The Proposal” with Sandra Bullock in Boston. She took the time to chat with me on my “Oh Behave!” radio show on Pet Life Radio.

Let me share with you some of the “golden lessons in life” from Betty and discover why she is truly a pal and a confidant to pets and people.

On pets and acting: I feel lucky that I am able to be active in the two loves of my life: animals and show business. I’ve been involved with the Los Angeles Zoo and the Morris Animal Foundation for more than 40 years and I’ve been in show business for more than 60 years. I guess you have to either sell your TV set or blow it up to get rid of me. Ha! I feel blessed.

On her role as president emeritus of the Morris Animal Foundation: The premise of the Morris Animal Foundation is to fund humane studies for dogs, cats, horses, zoo animals and wildlife. We are conducting two major efforts: the Canine Cancer Crusade and the Happy, Healthy Cat Campaign. Sadly, 1 in 4 dogs die from cancer and I lost one of my beloved golden retrievers to cancer. Dogs are vulnerable to the same carcinogens as people are and we are hoping to find out why and find a cure for cancer as well. Cats outnumber dogs in this country, but the problem is that fewer cats go to veterinary hospitals for care than dogs. We’re trying to educate the public and fund more feline studies.

On her favorite breed, the golden retriever: My golden retriever passion began when I took my blind friend Tom Sullivan’s retired guide dog named Dinah. She retired at age 11 when she came to me. She made it to age 15 by three days. Tom told me that Dinah taught him to grow up and I say that Dinah taught me to grow old. When she was a working dog, she traveled with Tom all over the country. Then she came to me with her upbeat attitude as if to convey, “Okay, what can I do to help you? She taught me that it is okay to go through life’s changes.

On her special bond with her dog, Pontiac: Pontiac is my golden boy, my constant companion. I cannot go more than two steps in my home without him being right by my side. If I must go out of town, I do my best to only be gone a maximum of three days. When I’m away, my good friend, Jerry Martin comes over every single day to play with Pontiac and so does my housekeeper. My housekeeper tells me that Pontiac spends a lot of time watching out the window that overlooks my driveway looking for me. That kind of support is very special. I appreciate him with all my heart.

For more info: Please visit the Morris Animal Foundation website at www.morrisanimalfoundation.com. Tune in to OH BEHAVE! on Pet Life Radio (www.petliferadio.com).