Few things can scare dog owners as much as fleas. A flea infestation is a truly miserable experience for dogs. Dogs become itchy, distracted and often lose interest in their favorite things in life. Many dogs even have a hard time sleeping due to the constant irritation of flea bites. Dog owners will in turn need to worry about how to help their furry friend. But some natural remedies can stop a dog’s flea problems:

1. Dish soap
This method should be used in conjunction with one of the others. The reason is that the dish soap isn’t used on a dog. Instead, you should use a mixture of warm water and soap as a flea trap. Fleas are attracted to the heat of the warm water. But when they jump into a bowl of it they’ll essentially become trapped by the viscosity of the soap.

2. Baking soda
This method is also used to kill fleas in the dog’s environment. You can mix baking soda and salt together to create a powerful dehydrating agent. You can spread this mixture around your home and vacuum it up later as needed. The principle works in a similar way to salt water. Everyone knows not to drink salt water because it will leave you more dehydrated than tasted. A mix of baking powder and salt acts in a similar way for flea populations. They’ll snack on the powder and essentially dry themselves out.

3. DIY lemon flea spray
A lemon spray makes an effective match for the anti-flea strategis which target the dog’s environment. The earlier methods will get rid of fleas wandering around your home. While the lemon spray can take care of those living in your pet’s fur. All you need to do is slice about six lemons in half. Then boil it in water for about ten minutes. Let it sit overnight and then take out the lemons. You should then pour it through a colander to get rid of any remaining pieces. Fleas hate the smell of lemon. If you spray this concoction on your dog it should have fleas running for escape. And if you have a trap set up this will go a long way to fully removing your flea problem.

4. Diatomaceous earth
This white powder is unique in that it’s toxic for insects but not mammals. This is because it isn’t a poison. Instead, the powder works through microscopic but very sharp protrusions on the individual particles. This will pierce a flea’s carapace. But it’s too small to have any effect on mammals.

5. Flea repelling plants like rosemary
Dogs and humans aren’t the only lifeforms which hate fleas. A wide variety of other plants and animals have had to contend with the parasites as well. Some plants in particular have come up with natural defences to help drive away fleas. Rosemary is a good example of a plant which can both fight fleas and help humans do the same. To make a rosemary flea repellant you simply need to brew it up as you would standard tea. Put a handful of rosemary leaves into boiling water and keep it at a low simmer for about 30 minutes. Then wait for the mixture to cool down to a point where it’s warm but not hot. At this point strain out the plant matter and pour the remaining liquid into a spray bottle. You should either spray your dog with this solution or manually rub it into his fur. By the time you’re done your dog should smell like rosemary. This smell is usually pleasant to humans. But fleas hate the smell of rosemary and will begin to find a new home off of your dog.