Yes, that time of year is upon us. You take your pooch for a glorious romp out in the fields. He then gets home with a few “buddies” attached. These buddies are known as ticks. Ticks can be dangerous.  They can transmit much more than Lyme Disease. In fact, some can emit as many as four or five pathogens, and cause infections in humans and pets. If a large number of ticks infest a pet, they can suck so much blood that your pet can become anemic— a good reason to nip the prospect of ticks in the bud.

4 Common Tick Removal Myths

Petroleum jelly, burning them off, freezing them off, and using nail polish. These are just a few of the common folk remedies that pop up when you Google tick removal. And all of them won’t work — and have the potential to further hurt your pet.

Petroleum jelly & nail polish: No you cannot drown a tick. They embed their heads into your animal’s skin and they will never back out.

Burning a tick: You’re playing with fire – literally. Lighting up anything around a pet is dangerous.  Your dog has hair, that hair will burn and you’ll injure your pet.

Freezing:  Using an aerosol-based liquid freezing gel is also dangerous. You’re not a Vet professional and you don’t know how long to hold the gel in place. Again, you can injure your own pet.

How To Remove a Tick

The easiest way is to use a tick removing tool or tweezers to pull them out.

Start by parting your dog’s fur where you see a tick and then using tweezers or the tool to pull the tick out by the body. Be careful so as not to twist or pinch the head off.  Apply enough pressure to grab the body right where the head and neck attach and don’t leave the head embedded in the skin.

Ok, I’ve successfully pulled a tick out of my dog, now what? Don’t flush it down the toilet! These pesky little critters, if still alive, have simply crawled out of the toilet and back onto your pet. To ensure that the deed is done, obtain a little container and put some rubbing alcohol in it. Then as you’re removing ticks from your pet, drop them into the container. After about 5 minutes the tick should be dead and then you can flush down them the toilet.

Preventative Care

The best way to protect your pet from ticks is to apply a monthly flea & tick preventative. There are many brands out there so check with your vet for the best recommendation for your pet.

As the name suggests, earthdog work tests a dog’s natural instinct to delve underground in the hunt for small game (foxes, badgers, otters) or vermin (rats, rabbits). One step at a time, dogs are introduced to quarry, are encouraged to follow a scent trail, and finally learn to negotiate underground tunnels until the quarry is found—mind you, the quarry is protected by bars and is never touched. In advanced tests, problems like side tunnels and hidden entry points are introduced to challenge the dog’s skills. Besides being exciting and satisfying for dogs, earthdog work is designed to be fun for you, the handler, at every level from beginner’s to master’s.

Earthdog work is another example of a sport created as an outlet for a specific group of dogs’ innate gifts. For anyone sharing his life with a small terrier or Dachshund, this is potentially a great pastime. You can pursue earthdog work privately or in the organized setting of the AKC (American Kennel Club) or the AWTA (American Working Terrier Association) tests.

Interested in awakening your dog’s hardwired instincts? The Getting Started in Earthdog Tests section on akc.org has tips for practice sessions in your own area or back yard.