I use Vectra 3D (or sometimes K9 Advantix) on my dog. I've also used Frontline in the past. None of them are real great at keeping the skeeters and deer flies off of her. The deer flies love to bite her face. Does anyone have any suggestions how I can keep them off her? In the past I have sprayed my hand with Off and rubbed it on the top of her head and ears. It works, but I don't like the thought of putting that on her. What do you do? Any suggestions?

I used this with my lab who would get nasty fly bites.

Dog head net

That's pretty cool! It might take some training to get Willow to wear it. I think she would hate it at first. I don't think I have time to get one before we leave. At least not without paying a premium for fast shipping. But I'll consider it for the future.

This is what Bella resorted to during our camping trip in July :-) (when she wasn't hiding from them in the tent). The skeeters didn't bother her, but the flies were relentless. Love the dog headnet, didn't know they made those!

I put a small amount of DEET on Wilson's ear tips. Works great, because without it, his ears would become hamburger from the deer flies.

The fast, ankle-biters are probably the biggest problem for him, because he's in and out of the water so much. Not sure what kind of repellent can remain effective under those conditions.

He's also on K9 Advantix during the summer, which seems to greatly reduce the number of ticks he gets, but I am not convinced that it repels flies or skeeters--especially here in the North Woods.

These are good ideas. Similarly, we put some Natrapel on Bear's head this year and it helped.

Sounds like you are going soon. Fortunately the skeeters can be pretty minimal in late August.

You could always buy an el-cheepo human head net and try it with your dog if it gets bad. You can get them for just a few buck at many stores.

Fortunately, her long fur keeps them away from most of her body. I notice them around her face the most. They love to sit on the bridge of her nose. I do have an extra head net around here somewhere.

We just returned from a week in Quetico. Bugs are already getting minimal.

When we're out in the thick of bug season though, I have actually put a kid-size bug net jacket on Daisy (50 lb Golden Retriever). Although it's netting, it still holds heat in a bit and the bugs are usually out when it's hot. More often than the bug jacket, I'll spray All Terrain Herbal Armor natural insect repellent on my hands and then wipe it on her legs, head, ears, back, belly. It works, but I wish its effectiveness lasted longer. I've used a homemade mixture of essential oils and its effectiveness is short-lived too.

I can't use any type of chemical mosquito repellent on myself and wouldn't use them on my dog.

I just returned last Sunday from Ensign. The bugs were minimal. I didn't notice them bothering Willow much at all. She had a couple red spots on her belly, but it wasn't bad. I never had to put anything on her.