Nothing makes me squirm for hours like picking a tick off my dog or myself! EWWWWW! Are you like me? It makes me squirm now just thinking about it!
Tick Remedies
If you look around, tick remedies are coming to life on the shelves of your pet stores, grocery stores, and vet offices. Side effects from these preventatives come in the form of seizures, tremors, and ataxia. On top of that, don’t be fooled; the chemical potion in that tube or chew is 100% effective. No preventative is 100% effective. Not even the natural options I mention here are 100% effective. I also am at risk for contracting the diseases ticks, and pests carry. The options I mention below can be used by you, your family, and your dog and, surprisingly, for a teething baby.
#1
The first option I am trying out for the very first time. It has good reviews, and it is even put on babies to wear for teething pain. Fascinating! My mind was blown! Let me introduce you to the Baltic Amber Collar. The raw, not polished stone, amber is made from tree resin and considered to be a heavy hitter and natural repellent. This stone works by creating electrostatic shocks to ticks and emits an unpleasant odor. The electrostatic shocks prevent the ticks from hanging onto your pup or you and the unpleasant odor, not noticeable by you, is repulsive to ticks and other pests. Your dog’s body heat will warm up the amber and the longer your pup wears the collar the stronger the odor. Simply put on the amber collar like a regular collar and you are good to go.
Reports say these collars last up to one year and take 3-4 weeks to start working. They look adorable too! I ordered from Amber Crown and the shipping takes quite a long time. Due to impatience, I reordered from a natural company on Amazon and they arrived in Amazon style. You can find them on Etsy too. When ordering, make sure it’s RAW amber.
#2
From my bible, The Forever Dog book, is a natural recipe to make yourself. One thing I like about recipes I make myself, once I have the ingredients, I can refill my bottle for a fraction of the price of going and buying a whole new bottle not to mention I have to go out to the stores and “people”. I will have plenty of tick repellent and some to share too all season! Check out this DIY Pest Spritz recipe.
#3
Make a bandana that you and your pup can both wear that is disgusting to ticks! Make sure to use a high-quality essential oil manufacturer. I personally use DOTERRA for all my essential oils. If you want to place an order, I can help you, and NO, I do not use it as an income generator or trap. I respect their oils and like to share with people and pups I care about.
Mix recipe, add drops, then tie the bandana around your pup, and don’t forget yourself. You can tie a bandana around each ankle, your wrists, and neck too. Yes, I do them all when I am out walking in the woods. Can’t be too careful, and these suckers gross me out greatly! I want to bring NONE of them home!
#4
Lastly, I use essential oils because I like fighting nature with nature. DOTERRA puts out a blend called TerraShield. I purchase this blend of Lemongrass, Thyme, Cedarwood, Geranium, and Peppermint essential oils in a sesame seed oil base. I will have this mixture available to all my pups coming for hydrotherapy and obedience classes. I will make the mix, and all that’s left is to spray it on your dog and yourself. Small bottles are easy to carry in pockets, making it easy to reapply if you sweat or are out in wooded areas for extended periods of time. Also, you can diffuse TerraShield for outdoor BBQs or when chillin’ outdoors on the deck. This will keep the other pests like mosquitoes away. You are welcome!
Now that I am itchy from writing this post, I will leave you to digest this natural information.
Please feel free to leave a comment or email questions at stephanie@pawsitiveconnectiondogtrianing.com. I am also happy to order you oils if you want them. I take pride in providing information so your pup can live the longest, most healthy life.
Next week, we will be working on a series training a “Chin Hold” so you can easily check for creepy crawlies without your pup wiggling or needing a second pair of hands. Stay tuned!
Questions? I'm always here to help! Feel free to reach out anytime.
~ Stephanie
