How To Protect + Bond With Your Pet Around Outdoor Adventures

This post reflects a compensated editorial partnership with Debug the Myths & RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment). All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own!

Last month I shared my outdoor safety tips; specifically, what to do before, during, and after outdoor adventures given that literally every single thing amidst a global pandemic takes additional thought and consideration. Today I’m back with tips for protecting pets from fleas and ticks. Fleas and ticks are important to watch out for not just because their bites cause itching and irritation, but because they spread disease. And flea and tick prevention is top of mind for me because we’re relatively new pet owners, we’re subsequently outdoors a ton now, and James the standard poodle is SUPER FURRY! Here are my tips:

Handle your dog a lot!

One of the best pieces of advice we got from James’ breeder (and have also read repeatedly) is to handle your dog a lot. Scratch them behind the ears, handle their ears, play their paws and touch their nails, put your fingers in their mouth and touch their teeth (yes, seriously), rub their tummies! Basically, the idea is to get them used to lots of touch, which will make everything—checkups, dental care, grooming, tick checks—easier. And of course, lots of handling will help you bond with your pup.

We handle James a lot, every day, and he sure does love it! In this picture he’s snuggled between me and Violet (ears on Violet, legs draped on my legs!) while Violet is rubbing his sides.

Talk to your vet about preventative medication

Your vet will likely educate you about medication for treating ticks, fleas, and other pests as well as deworming (mosquitoes can transmit heartworm disease!), but if they don’t bring it up, be sure to ask! When we had the last in our series of preliminary puppy vet visits I asked how long we needed to administer James’ monthly flea and tick prevention medicine—assuming it was a seasonal thing—and they were like, “Nope, administer monthly FOREVER.” Good to know!

Read medication labels

The first time we gave James his preventative medication I read the directions several times and watched him like a mother hawk! Much akin to being a first time mom I was worried about messing up and then dealing with adverse reactions. Also important to note re: label reading, if you are starting your pet journey with a puppy be sure to read labels to make sure you are administering the right dose based on their weight since they grow so fast. Definitely check in with your veterinarian if you have any questions or need advice on medication!

Set up medication reminders

We need to do month flea and tick medication as well as a separate monthly deworming medication. I set up reminders in my to-do app to recur monthly to remind me to administer the medication, which offers huge piece of mind as I don’t want to lose track!

Tick checks are especially important after we’ve had James out where there’s more brush.

Do tick checks

Checking for ticks is really important, whether it’s for yourself, your kids, or your pet! You can learn more about ticks and Lyme disease here, but in humans, look all over and especially in creases (e.g., in and around the ears, belly button, armpits, behind the knee, around the waist) and in your hair. Similarly, for pets, go for creases, plus you have the added challenge of their fur! Here’s a handy guide on tick checks for pets:

Groom regularly

As I mentioned, regular handling of your dog will help a lot, and if you have a dog that requires regular grooming, keep on top of it! Because James is a standard poodle he needs to be groomed every 4-6 weeks and especially during the summer, both for temperature management and so it’s easier to check him for ticks, I am erring on the side of short! After reading some material on how grooming can be a really great way to bond with your dog, I bought dog clippers and will be attempting my first puppy cut very soon. Wish me luck! I figure if it looks terrible, he’ll grow out of it!

This is before and after professional grooming. I promise to post before and after photos once I give the home haircut a try.

Safeguard your yard

I mentioned in my last post that we spend a lot more time in our backyard now that we have a dog. Keeping your yard under control is an important way to safeguard against ticks. To learn more, check out this post on 9 tips for keeping yards tick-free. And, if you choose to use pesticide products in your yard, follow these tips for pet safety.

How will you spend time outside this week? Check out The Great Outdoors Challenge and share what you’re up to (safely!) outside using the hashtag #TheGreatOutdoorsChallenge.

How to protect and bond with your pet around outdoor adventures