I am by no means an expert at controlling fleas but when I moved to Ca my dog and the other two dogs here had become INFESTED with fleas earlier this spring. A bath with flea shampoo killed the fleas but it only kept the little bastids off for a few days. I read the label on the flea shampoo and the active ingredient was Permethrin. What remedied the problem was vacuuming the carpet and spraying the carpet and yard with Permethrin. I used an industrial strength product (mixed per instructions) called Ten Guard but I'm sure the brand doesn't matter. We also applied K9 advantix II to the pups.
The added bonus to spraying Permethrin outside is it has helped control spiders and their webs on the patio. I sprayed the cement foundation and corners of the patio and there hasn't been any spiders to speak of.
It's been a little over a month and the fleas have started to reappear so it's time for another full treatment inside and out ... as before.
