If dog fleas are ruining your life, and no doubt ruining the life of your dog, you need a plan to get rid of them and keep them from coming back. Flea infestations have to be one of the most stubborn and frustrating things to deal with, but it is possible to rid your home and dog of these annoying little animals. To get your plan off to a good start, lets talk about the steps you will need to perform to be effective in killing fleas.

Before you make a plan, it’s important to realize a couple of things. One, fleas on your dog are only about 5% of the total fleas in and around your house. Two, live fleas are also only part of the infestation – flea eggs, larvae and pupae will all be present, and even when all live fleas have been killed, those eggs, larvae and pupae will develop into more fleas over the next two weeks unless they are dealt with as well.

1 – Get rid of the fleas in your house – get as many fleas out of the house as possible, which means removing your dog while you are treating your house. Fleas live on and around the floors, in cracks and crevices, and on objects that your pet has been in contact with. Pick up any objects that can be washed, and launder these items using the hot cycle. This will include your pet toys, dog bedding, throw out any dog food that is in or around the dog bowl, your clothing, bedding, cushions etc. Any where it is possible for fleas to live, or lay eggs, needs to be cleaned.

Now do a thorough cleaning of your entire house, using the vacuum on all carpeted and upholstered items, and soap and water on all hard surfaces. Steam cleaning your upholstery is a good idea if you have access to a steam cleaner. One thing to be careful of after vacuuming is to dispose of the vacuum bag so that fleas or larvae do not re-emerge and create a new infestation. Remember that surfaces in your basement, garage, and patio also need cleaning if your dog is in contact with these areas. One last place that is often forgotten about is the car – you will want to vacuum or steam clean the upholstery to get rid of fleas that have taken up residence in your vehicle. Once you have cleaned all surfaces, have a professional flea treatment done of your entire house. Make sure you and your pets don’t return until the recommended amount of time has passed.

2 – Get rid of the fleas outside your house – fleas that are in the areas outside your house that your dog visits will re-infest your pet the second he goes outside again. Arrange to have a flea treatment for your yard and garage at the same time that you treat your house. Make sure that you get to all areas that fleas like to hide, such as dark humid places like underneath the patio. Fleas prefer dark places, so treat crevices and corners especially well.

3 – Get rid of fleas on your dog – now is the time to get rid of the adult fleas on your dog. Give your dog a bath with dog shampoo, and then thoroughly dry him. Once he is dry, double check that all fleas have been killed by going over your dog with a flea comb. It’s probably a good idea to throw your dog washing clothes in the laundry, just in case some fleas jumped to you for safety during the bath.

4 – Kill fleas for the next 2 weeks to prevent re-infection – 2 weeks after the initial treatment, any fleas in the larvae stage which were impervious to the chemical treatment will now hatch and reinfest your home. After the initial treatment, make sure to follow up with vacuuming, floor washing, laundering and pet bathing regularly over the next two weeks, and your chances of catching young fleas before they have a chance to re-infest will be greatly increased.

Visit this great Dog Fleas website to read more about how do I get rid of fleas on my dog.