help with dog odors and ants

[MORTARDUDE]

Two problems, any help appreciated.

1) I have a long hair dog, a Sheltie, who sheds her outer coat twice a year. I keep her brushed, but the whole house just has that dog hair smell. Have tried candles etc. Only temporary. Even after carpets are cleaned it comes back. Any help appreciated.

2) I have these ants that have been coming into the kitchen under a window ledge for 10 years. I have put out six different kinds of bait at once. They ignored all but the Terro ( boric acid ). Once upon a time it would kill them back for awhile. Now they eat it all the time with no ill effects. We have sprayed inside and out with ant poison. They just roll right thru it. Yesterday, 2 of them were on a napkin I used to cover some tamales in the microwave and survived a minute of the microwave. If I had not seen it I would not believe it ! I have caulked up the hole and covered it with fingernail polish...still they come. Help !

Larry

[Jimmyjet]

My wife uses small bowls of white vinegar to dispose of cooking odors. She puts them in areas where smells become trapped. It might help with your problem. Lots of luck...

[reeb]

Larry,

Karen use to manage apartments, and she found the best solution for pet odors is to pull the carpet and padding back as far as possible and sprinkle vinegar on the slab and then just put the carpet back into place.

As for ants ( they are terrible here in Tx), what I do is about once a week in the spring and summer is to spray the outside of the window fram, door frame and power lines with Raid roacch and ant killer. It keeps them from coming in and a darn good job of it.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

enough........

[Sgt_Tropo]

Fingernail polish ? Is there something you want to tell us ? :cd:

Seriously, Dude, as Reeb has stated, the ants down here in Texas are something else. We have the typical black sugar ants, the carpender ants (whichj are almost as bad as termintes , and of course the infamous fire ants. However, I have found a couple of things that work.
1) I use an insectacide called Spetrecide Insect Killer. It comes in various forms, but I prefer the liquid concentrate. I have a small pump sprayer and I use it about three or four times a year, depending upon the rain we get (which can really be a lot !). I spray the base parimeter of the house and around the windows, doors adn any other avenues of ingress I find. This stops all kinds of insects, not just ants, from getting into the house. A single spray treatment lasts about three to four months. I get the Spetrecide at Lowes or Home Depot, but I think Wal-Mart has it as well.
I have 4 acres of wooded property, so I also spread some Androse diazinon around the property parimeter twice a year. I am the only property owner in this area with NO fire ants inside my fence line. I know the government is / has outlawed the use of diazinon, but I still have a couple of 50# bags. That should last me for about another 2 - 3 years.

2) Doggie odors - I have four dogs myself, ranging from a Chiquaqua to a Great Dane, so I can appreciate your delemia. I use Fabreeze in the house to help control the odors that dogs just naturally bring about. I have al;so tried several of the "Tips from Heloise" suggestions, but nothing seems to completely eliminate these odors for long. Let me know if you find something that REALLY works for an extended period (besides getting rid of the dogs!).

I hope some of this helps. Let me know. The one thing we have down here that no pesticide seems capable of controlling is the blasted crickets. If anyone has a control for these bugs, let me know ASAP !

Now, as my 11 year-old granddaughter likes to say, "L8tr", Bro.

[BLUEHAWK]

Larry -
About dog odors, I can tell you what I have done (have and had dogs ALL my life)... I would simply take your Sheltie to a groomer and have ALL her hair cut off, to a butch. I know this pretty much obliterates the "look" of the breed, but it will definitely make a HUGE difference in that odor in the house, and it makes the dog much easier to bathe... an Akita I once knew had this done, and a whole new world opened up. For one thing, the dog himself was more comfortable, no more dog hair everywhere in the house, no more constant useless brushing, no more frustration and family tension (about dog hairs), no more using masking tape on clothes, no more telling the dog to GET OFF the couch, no more allergic reactions to hair etc etc etc.

Pretty extreme, I realize, but it will damn sure work, and I don't think the dog will care... might even be relieved. In winter, fit her out for a nice down-filled jacket if you worry about her getting cold.

[reeb]

Sgt Tropo,

What you posted has made alot of sense.

I am gonna to try to find some of that spermacide and see if it works.

A little play on words there.

Is your house Pier and Beam, or slab. Karen and I live in her mobile home for right now, and the darn ants are terrible.

Aint got no worries about the dog odor, cause ( believe it or not ), the little bitch doesnt stink.

enough.........

[Sgt_Tropo]

Make sure when you on into a store and ask for the stuff, you remember that it's SPECTRACIDE, not SPERMACIDE. They might look at you a little funny.

[philly]

Reeb,

..way too funny..

[Jerry D]

I have found that "Carpet Fresh" No Vacuum Foam Carpet Refresher "Super Pet" neutralizes pet odors pretty well. I use it in my Truck and home and it works for me. For Ants I use "Raid" Ant an Roach spray also (trailor house here) and it works pretty good except now in the rainy season we seem to be getting more ants in the house to spray , They just don't like to swim much outside

[reeb]

Jerry,

I also live in a moblie home.

Have you ever noticed how the darn ants just keep on coming and coming up the power line?

I spray ours constanly cause of them little critters.

OH MY GOD, HERE COME PETA!!!!!!!!!!

enough.........