Natural Flea Control for Your Agility Dogs

More and more pet owners are turning to natural remedies for their pets as more negative information is found and released about the dangers of toxic chemicals used in pet care today.  If a child should not come into contact with a dog treated with topical flea and tick control, why is it safe to put on our dog in the first place?  The issue of flea control is highly complicated, however, as these little bugs multiply at an alarming rate making a simple problem into a full fledged infestation in very little time.  An infestation that will affect your pet, your family as well as friends who come into your home.

So before you rush off and buy an artillery of chemicals to combat these pesky critters, you may want to give these natural home remedies a shot starting with the not so gracious host, your pet.  With any flea infestation the host needs to be dipped so we will start with the top three natural flea dips for dogs.

1. Rosemary Flea Dip.  Take boiling water and steep 2 cups of rosemary until the water cools.  Strain out the leaves and add the liquid to enough fresh water to create a gallon in total of the dip.  Once it cools, but while it’s still warm, pour it over your dog and allow him to dry naturally.  This dip is also very helpful for ticks.
2. Lemon Flea Dip.  Take boiling water and add 6-8 lemons sliced and allow it to steep overnight.  The next day, remove the lemon and pour the liquid into a spray bottle. Spray this liquid all over your dog especially behind the ears, near the tail and on his belly and legs. Be careful not to get it into his eyes. This mixture will kill and repel fleas and as an added bonus, it can help to treat irritated skin.
3. Lavender oil. Before you apply the lavender oil, you should wash and dry your dog. Once your done, apply 5-10 drops of the lavender oil to your dog around the tail and neck area. Massage this oil into their skin. The oil will help to treat irritated skin as well as repel the fleas. You should repeat this treatment at least every 2 weeks.

You can also spritz the lemon tea on your pet’s bedding or areas of high traffic as fleas do not like the taste or smell of citrus, yes you can also use oranges.  You can also rub your dog’s neck and legs with lemon/orange juice to repel fleas and ticks when they go outside.  You can also sprinkle your carpets with salt at night, leaving it all night and then vacuuming it up in the morning.

You will also want to wash ALL your dog’s bedding weekly, vacuum the carpet daily in high infestations and under the furniture at least once a week.  Plus, you can try a natural flea trap.  Take a small pan with at least 3″ sides and put in enough water to barely float a tea light.  Next add some liquid dish soap to the water to break the surface tension.  If you do not do this the fleas can literally walk on the surface of the water instead of falling in and drowning.  Place the pan in the center of your carpeted area being certain it will not be disturbed by your pets and let it sit out over night.  The fleas are drawn to the light and will jump into the pan of water and drown.  In the morning you take the pan of drowned fleas and dump them out into the neighbors grass.  Kidding, you will dump it out into another bucket until you are sure the fleas are dead and you can refill your pan then next night.  You can also place the pan under a night light that is put in a low outlet on your carpeted area.

If your dog has a grassy yard then you can help decrease the chance of your pet picking up fleas from your backyard by using natural predators that will feed on the flea larva.  The most common is the nematode, a small worm that feeds on flea eggs and larvae.  These should be easy to find at your local garden store.  Please note that you are using  a beneficial nematode that feeds on flea eggs not the nematode that causes heart disease in dogs and cats.

If you have your own natural flea remedies that work for you and your pet, we would love to hear them.  Please scroll down and leave your comments in the comment area so others can try your proven methods.