Tick Control for Dogs

Tick control for dogs is similar to flea control for dogs: it involves more than an occasional bath and a collar that keeps fleas and ticks away.

Tick control for dogs is a process that never ends. But you love your dog (or dogs), right? And besides, you're not only protecting them, you're protecting yourself. Ticks transmit some pretty nasty diseases. A tick bite can give you Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. When your dog carries a tick into your home or environment, you're in as much danger as your pet. Learn more by clicking on safe tick removal and protecting yourself from ticks.

Happily, there are a number of things you can do to control ticks on your dog - and keep tick ticks away from you.

Tick control products

First of all, remember that products you use to control ticks on your dog may be dangerous for cats. Read the directions carefully on any tick control product you buy.

Tick control products generally include tick repellents, sprays, powders, dips, shampoos, tick and flea collars and topicals. We have separate articles on each of these. Click on the links for information on each type.

Keep in mind that ticks have to come in contact with the active control ingredient of a tick control product for the product to be effective. You want a product that will kill ticks within 24 hours, because most ticks need to be attached to your dog at least 48 hours to transmit disease.

You may have heard that a vaccine for Lyme disease has been developed. This is true, but it was pulled off the market several years later. To get the latest information about Lyme disease vaccine, talk to your vet.

Controlling the environment

Well, you can't completely control or eliminate ticks in the environment. There are just too many of them on the planet, and they're pretty good at survival and reproduction. But you can reduce the risk your dog will have a tick problem by taking steps that lower the chances of a tick encounter.

As you're probably aware, ticks like to hang around in leaves, brush and grass. So if you have a yard that's full of vegetation, and you let your dog run around in it, tick control is going to be a problem.

If you love hiking in the woods, and enjoy the company of your dog while you're doing it, your dog is likely to roam around in places where ticks will be roaming around too - and the ticks will be looking for a meal. So if you just can't do without that stroll down a nature trail or two, you might consider finding areas where the paths are paved. It's no guarantee your dog won't pick up a tick or two, but again, it will at least reduce the chances.

Dogs also get ticks from other dogs - and other animals. If you live in an area where there are a lot of other furry "critters," like rodents and deer, it will be that much harder to control ticks on your dog.

Don't be lulled into thinking you can let your pet dog run wild in cooler weather either. Deer ticks are at their peak in the months of September, October, and November. This is even true in the upper midwestern states of the U.S. where temperatures dip during those months.

Check for dog for ticks after every trip outside. An occasional "tick check" indoors is a good idea, even if your dog spends most of his or her time inside. The brown dog tick has been known to set up shop indoors, although it rarely happens. learn more by clicking on dog ticks and dog tick removal.

If you find evidence that ticks have gotten into your home on your pets, the most reliable way to control them is by using a flea and tick fogger.

You can add an additional level of protection by putting a one-foot barrier of flea and tick powder where the walls meet the floor. Ticks tend to seek high places, so they tend to head for higher areas. This insecticide barrier will stop them.

They also love to hide in bedding. So tick control for dogs also entails washing their bedding regularly.