Fleas are every pet owner’s worst nightmare. These little bugs are a nuisance to get rid of and can cause your puppy discomfort. Not only do fleas cause itching, but fleas can also lead to some serious diseases. If you have a puppy covered head to toe with fleas, it also has the potential to be life-threatening.

Luckily, you can help by bathing your puppy using flea shampoo. While flea baths should be reserved for after an infestation has started, you can stock up on flea shampoo just in case!

Since many flea shampoos are available, you want to choose the one that is the safest for your puppy. We have put together a list of flea shampoos that are effective and puppy-safe!

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites (2024)

The 10 Best Flea Shampoos for Puppies

1. Richard’s Organics Flea & Tick Shampoo—Best Overall

Richard’s Organics is an excellent option for any pet parents looking for a flea shampoo for their puppy, and that’s why we chose it as our best overall flea shampoo for puppies. This natural shampoo is the perfect way to keep your puppy products all-natural since the formula is naturally derived.

This shampoo is devoid of any of the harmful chemicals that are often associated with de-bugging shampoos. Instead, it uses natural ingredients like cedarwood oil to kill and repel fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes from your puppy’s vicinity. It’s an excellent pick-up for any puppy owner!

Since this shampoo is safe for canines 12 weeks and older, it will be safe for most puppies who have been home for at least a month. However, puppy parents of younger puppies than 3 months old will need to look into a cheaper shampoo or professional de-fleeing to eliminate their flea problem.

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2. Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo with PRECOR—Best Value

Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo with Precor is an excellent option for pet parents who need a cheap and effective solution to their puppy’s fleas. This shampoo can be bought in bottle sizes up to 1 gallon and is safe for puppies 12 weeks of age or older.

This shampoo isn’t all-natural, so you’ll have to look elsewhere if you want an all-natural product. However, it’s exceptionally effective due to including active pyrethrins, a dog-safe pesticide.

Adams Plus contains pyrethrin, which can be hazardous to cats in large doses. Although this shampoo claims it is safe on felines, some people want to avoid the risk and only go for cat-safe shampoos.

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3. Veterinary Formula Flea & Tick Shampoo—Best Premium

Veterinary Formula’s Clinical Care Flea & Tick Shampoo was our choice for the best premium flea shampoo for puppies. In addition, this shampoo is safe for dogs, cats, ferrets, and horses. So, any farm owners can rest assured that they can use this shampoo for any animals they rely on.

While this shampoo isn’t listed as pyrethrin-free, it is listed as being safe for cats. So, it can’t contain any pyrethrins since those are toxic for cats. This shampoo formula also contains aloe and lanolin to help soothe your puppy’s irritated skin from their flea problem. So, it’s a great buy!

This shampoo is only suitable for one use per week, so you’ll have to wait a week to reapply the formula if it doesn’t fully clear up your puppy’s flea problem. However, it helps repel and kill fleas for several days after the first application.

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4. Hartz UltraGuard Rid Flea & Tick Oatmeal Dog Shampoo

Hartz’s UltraGuard Rid Flea & Tick Oatmeal Dog Shampoo is excellent for any pet parents of older puppies. This is safe for use on puppies six months of age or older.

This shampoo formula is fortified with oatmeal to help your puppy feel less itchy and irritable after its infestation is quelled. The cleansing components also help your puppy feel clean for the first time since a flea jumped on their back!

Unfortunately, this shampoo isn’t pyrethrin-free, so this shampoo cannot be used on cats. Any pet parents of cats and dogs must buy another cat-safe flea shampoo for their feline.

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5. TropiClean Neem & Citrus Dog Shampoo

TropiClean’s Neem & Citrus Dog Shampoo is great for any pet parents who need to give their pup a flea bath. This pH-balanced shampoo is perfect for any puppy with sensitive skin. It will help soothe their skin irritated by flea bites for far too long!

TropiClean is excellent because it features all-natural ingredients to cleanse the skin and kill fleas that have made your puppy their home. In addition to editing the skin and fur, this shampoo will clean the hair and redistribute the skin’s natural oils through the fur. This redistribution helps keep the coat conditioned and moisturized.

It is worth noting that this shampoo is not safe for cats. So, if you have a cat, you’ll want to pass on this. Even inhaling fumes from a canine that has recently been washed can be dangerous for cats.

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6. Vet’s Best Advanced Strength Flea & Tick Dog Shampoo

Pet parents looking for an all-natural, pyrethrin-free formula need not look further than Vet’s Best’s Advanced Strength Flea & Tick Dog Shampoo. Vet’s Best has been curating a collection of all-natural, veterinarian-formula pet medical products for years, and their flea and tick shampoo does not disappoint.

This formula features advanced-strength compounds that kill fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs and ticks on contact without any synthetic compounds. It’s formulated specifically for dogs using rosemary and peppermint to drive out flea infestations.

Remember that when fleas die, they rise to the top of an animal’s coat and fall out. So, you may see an abundance of dead fleas around your house after using this shampoo, but it doesn’t mean your puppy has been reinfested.

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7. Zodiac Oatmeal Conditioning Shampoo for Dogs & Puppies

Zodiac’s Oatmeal Conditioning Shampoo for Dogs & Puppies is another excellent option for pet parents looking to get rid of their puppy’s fleas for good! Their formula is fortified with aloe, oatmeal, and lanolin to help soothe your pup’s skin after an infestation.

It’s important to note that this shampoo contains pyrethrins, which are extremely dangerous for cats. So, if you have cats in your house, do not buy this shampoo, as even inhaling the pyrethrin off an animal who has recently been washed can be deadly.

This is an excellent option for dog-only households that can’t be beaten easily. This shampoo kills fleas and ticks on contact but also contains PRECOR Insect Growth Regulator to help kill flea eggs and larvae.

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8. Sentry Flea & Tick Tropical Breeze Shampoo for Dogs

Pet parents who want to stick to a well-known brand and are trusted by pet parents and veterinarians everywhere will love Sentry’s Flea & Tick Tropical Breeze Shampoo for Dogs. This formula is backed by the Sentry name, one of the most widely celebrated pet brands.

It comes in a relatively big bottle and can quell your flea problem with a blend of cleansing compounds and pesticides. Although a family favorite pet brand makes it, this shampoo is not safe to use around cats, so keep that in mind when purchasing it for your puppy. Additionally, some people noted that they had to apply the shampoo several times to effectively kill the fleas.

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9. Advantage Flea & Tick Treatment Shampoo for Puppies

Advantage is another family-favorite brand for flea and tick treatments, and their shampoo for dogs and puppies doesn’t cut any corners. They’re a well-loved and highly trusted brand because they put the animals first.

Advantage produces one of the most effective topical flea and tick treatments, K9 Advantix, so it’s safe to say they know their way around the world of flea and tick solutions. However, users of the product have mixed reviews about how effective it was at killing their puppy’s fleas.

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10. PetArmor Plus Oatmeal Shampoo For Dogs

PetArmor Plus’ Oatmeal Shampoo for Dogs is an excellent product for removing flea infestations. This tropical-scented medicinal shampoo will clean your dog’s coat while killing all those fleas hiding in their locks.

This shampoo is safe for puppies at least 12 weeks of age. So, even parents of young puppies can utilize this shampoo! It’s unscented to avoid further irritating already irritated and sensitive puppy skin.

One downside is that you’ll need a prescription before buying this shampoo, as Chewy only sells it with a valid prescription.

Buyer’s Guide: Buying the Best Flea Shampoo for Puppies

Do I Need to Give My Dog Regular Flea Baths?

Giving your dog a regular flea bath can help prevent infestations. By “regular,” we mean every one to two weeks. Bathing your dog more regularly than the chemicals often used in flea shampoos will dry out their skin and make them sick if they accidentally ingest the insecticides used in the shampoo.

Essential Precautions When Using Flea Shampoo

As we’ve mentioned, flea shampoo can contain any number of harsh insecticides used to kill the fleas on your dog’s body. These chemicals include pyrethrin (also called pyrethrin), an insecticide, and Precor, an insect growth regulator. While both compounds are safe for dogs in small quantities, they are harsh on the skin and unsafe for your dog to ingest in high doses.

These pesticides are also not great for your skin. Wear gloves when washing your dog to keep your skin from drying out.

Pyrethrin is also highly dangerous for cats. Even inhaling pyrethrin fumes can be fatal for cats. So, if you have a cat, you’ll want to choose a pyrethrin-free shampoo to keep them safe. Some fatalities have been recorded in dogs as well. Still, pyrethrin is listed as safe for dogs, and complications are rare.

Other Methods of Protecting Your Puppy Against Fleas

There are many methods of protecting your dog from fleas, and it’s usually considered best to double up on treatments to provide your dog with the best possible protection against fleas.

Topical Flea and Tick Treatment

A popular flea and tick treatment amongst pet parents is a topical solution. Topical flea and tick treatments are applied to the back of the puppy’s neck and along the spine to protect the whole body from fleas.

These treatments generally last for one month before they need to be reapplied but are considered the most effective preventative treatment when used solo. So, pet parents who want to get their puppy the most effective flea protection without doubling up will want to invest in these. However, just like shampoos, ensure the topical treatment is safe for puppies.

You’ll have to monitor your puppy for a few hours after applying the solution to ensure they don’t lick it off. You’ll also want to separate any animals that have been treated so other pets don’t lick the solution off, either. This would harm the solution’s efficacy, and it could be deadly for your other pets to ingest the pesticides.

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Flea Collar

Flea collars are collars that are infused with pesticides. Collars eliminate the need to worry about your other pets licking anything off your treated dog since they don’t have a residue.

Flea collars are generally more effective as a long-term investment since collars like the Seresto collar are made by Advantage. The collars are usable for up to eight months and can be used on puppies as young as 7 weeks. But always consult your vet first.

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Other Tips for Getting Rid of Fleas FAST!

Clean the House

Fleas like to hide out in your carpeting and floors. Once a flea infestation has taken hold on a dog, they will bring the bugs home with them, and the problem will spread far past the scope of just your dog.

Cleaning up the house with a vacuum can help kill fleas hiding in your home and the eggs they’ve left behind. You’ll want to clean the house several times over a few weeks to get not just the fleas that are there now but also those that will hatch later.

Mowing the Lawn

Mowing your lawn will help reduce the flea population around your house and prevent your dog from becoming reinfested after the treatments. Flea eggs are mainly found in tall grass and shrubs.

When in Doubt, Use a Bug Bomb

This should be a last resort for getting rid of fleas. Get everyone out of the house for a few hours and hire pest control professionals to bug bomb your house.

Final Thoughts

If your puppy has fleas, never fear; a quick bath should wrap up that problem! Try out our favorite choice, Richard’s Organics Flea & Tick Shampoo. If you’re on a budget, no worries! Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo with Precor has got you covered! If you’re not on a budget, try Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Flea & Tick, our choice for the best premium flea shampoo for puppies.

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Featured Image Credit: Easy Morning, Shutterstock