Help Your Dog Be Flea and Tick Free

Dog enthusiasts love their dogs. They know that fleas and ticks can be a nuisance for their dogs, and so they try their best to keep their dogs flea and tick free. This can be a very large undertaking, especially for owners who live in warm climates that lend to fleas and ticks. Owners should not get discouraged. Here are a few simple habits, that when implemented regularly, can help keep dogs flea and tick free.

Doggy Bath

Owners that want to keep their dog flea and tick free need to be sure to bath their dogs regularly. Depending on the climate and vegetation in the area, owners may consider washing their dog every week or even more often. Dogs should be washed with soap in warm water. After the bath, owners should take a moment to comb through the dogs fur looking for jumping fleas or hiding ticks. By catching these annoying pests early, owners will be in a good position to get rid of them.

Treat the Dog

Treating the dog is an important step to keeping the dog flea and tick free. Owners have many options when it comes to flea and tick treatments. Owners may choose to use a chemical that is applied after every bath or once a month that will kill any fleas or ticks that may attach themselves to the dog. Some owners decide to use a flea collar that will also kill any fleas that jump onto the dog. Owners should use caution when applying a new chemical treatment to their dogs. Some treatments may cause irritation to the dog, and so close observation is important to ensure the health of the dog.

Clean Up

Many owners give their dogs the freedom to run in the back yard. Some owners also use the back yard to store old junk, piles of wood, and old sheds. All of these things have the potential to attract rodents. When rodents begin to nest in these piles and sheds, then they bring fleas with them. As the dog discovers these nests, they will become vulnerable to fleas. By organizing the junk and piles of wood and sealing off the tight corners in the shed, owners will be helping to keep their dog flea and tick free.

Spray the Yard

Spraying and dusting is a good way to kill fleas that may exist on a property. Owners should spray or dust the fences around the dog's area along with the sheds and pile of wood or junk. This will kill any fleas or ticks that have existed there, and it will also continue to kill fleas for a certain time. Owners may also consider spraying the dog's house and bed to keep them flea and tick free as well.

Avoid Tall Grass and Weeds

Another thing owners should do to help their dog avoid fleas and ticks is to cut down any tall grass or weeds and then keep the dog from entering areas where there is tall grass or weeds. This is because both fleas and ticks transport onto dogs from tall grasses and weeds because they put them at the dog's level. By cutting down and avoiding tall grasses, owners will keep their dog from finding unwanted bugs.

Helping a dog to stay flea and tick free is a difficult task. By nature dogs are curious animals, and that curiosity can lead to fleas and ticks. Owners will need to stay vigilant and perform preventative measures in order to keep their dog flea and tick free.

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