Natural Flea and Tick control

I don't like the idea of putting toxic chemicals on Smash to try to prevent fleas and ticks. I know that sooner rather than later he will lick his fur and directly ingest bug poison. And more will seep into his skin.

I did some research and found that there are some natural home remedies for fleas and ticks.

The first step in eliminating fleas is keeping his sleeping area clean. Wild dogs don't get fleas because the don't sleep in the same place very often.

I let Smash sleep on a concrete pad that is easily washed and keep his cedar filled bedding brushed off. He likes to rearrange his own furniture from time to time which helps keep the fleas at bay.

Also, there is some research that indicates that healthy animals don't attract as many parasites. Just another reason to make sure I feed him healthy natural food.

For ticks - and we have lots of them in our woods - I am testing an old farm trick - Geranium oil. I put a few drops of Rose geranium oil on his collar. This makes him smell like roses instead of a dog. When first applied the scent is strong so I am not sure it is better than wet dog or not.

There seems to be some reduction in the number of ticks I find on him now. I will continue to evaluate this method of tick control and let you know what I decide.