Good Dog Article
originally authored by our Trainer

"No Fleas Please"

It's That Time of Year Again!
It's time for fleas and ticks! Gross, I just hate them, and my dogs don't like them much either. We have been flea free for 15 years now and with proper care you can too. As far as ticks go, going over your dogs coat/skin every few days when at the height of tick season, is the best prevention. Catching them before they get buried in too deep.

You must begin with a flea and tick free environment. While you can buy flea bombs at just about any grocery store. I really recommend you find a professional pest company that gives you a written guarantee that if the problem persists they'll come back out and re-treat the area for free. I have had my house and yard sprayed and granulated the same time every year and it seems to work great. About the end of April, beginning of May I have the house and yard treated. I start when the weather gets warm, and have in the past put a topical flea and tick preventative on my dogs. I found that that was much healthier than flea collars, but now with my dogs getting older I'm trying to use a more holistic form.

I have used Bio-spot and Frontline, Advantage and Defend are insecticides that attack the flea's central nervous system. That scares me when I'm putting it on my dogs, especially down the spine. It's up to you what to use but you can also try contacting Springtime,Inc. http://www.springtimeinc.com for their Bug Off Garlic product which I am just starting but use something along those lines. If we go for a walk in the woods or in a public park where there are lots of other dogs, before we get inside the car for the trip home, I will usually spray a little Adams Flea and Tick spray as added insurance the fleas or ticks don't get in my car, and I do spray their bedding or where they lay in the house. Change your vacuum bag often.

Remember these facts:

• Fleas can and do lay dormant for up to 1 year! Especially over the winter months.
  

• Did you know a pair of fleas can produce 20,000 fleas in three months?
  

• Fleas can go several months without a meal.
  

• Only about 1% of fleas at any one time is in the adult stage.
  

• You must be able and ready to kill fleas at all stages of their lifecycle to eliminate them from your environment.
  

• Ticks and fleas love warm, moist environments and any place your pet spends lots of time.

• Prevention is, of course, the easiest road to take, but if you already have a problem, there are products out there to help.

• Ask your vet about what topical application may be most appropriate for your dog or puppy. Remember strong dog flea and tick remedies may be too much for a younger pup, so be careful.

• Cat fleas and dog fleas are different, but the flea that likes to get on dogs is called a cat flea, and it prefers dogs!

Till next time, if you have any questions for me on training issues, or behavior modification, or are interested in past articles, email me or give me a call! Remember you too can own a 'Good Dog' let me show you how!

Next Month's Article:
Puppy Mouthing - How to turn it around

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