# Brown dog tick

*Rhipicephalus sanguineus*

**Identification confidence:** Identifiable with care — The defining clue is behavioural — this is the one tick that completes its whole life cycle indoors.

## How to recognise it

- Uniform reddish-brown with no white ornamentation on the shield, separating it from the American dog tick.
- Elongated, narrow body outline rather than the rounded shape of Dermacentor species, 3 to 5 mm unfed.
- The base of the mouthparts is hexagonal when viewed from above, which is characteristic of the genus.

## What it leaves behind

- Ticks found indoors at all life stages — crawling up walls, around door frames, and in cracks — which no other US tick does.
- Heavy infestation of a dog and of its resting areas, kennels, and bedding.

## Why an infestation persists

Uniquely among common US ticks, this species completes its entire life cycle indoors, so an infestation can build inside a home or kennel without any outdoor exposure. That single fact changes the whole approach, and it is why finding ticks climbing indoor walls points to this species. It can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and canine ehrlichiosis.


## Where it occurs

Throughout the United States, strongly associated with dogs and indoor environments.

## What prevents it

- Work with a veterinarian on the dog itself, which is the reservoir; treating the building alone will not resolve it.
- Launder and heat-dry pet bedding, and vacuum cracks, baseboards, and resting areas thoroughly.
- Seal cracks and crevices in kennels and around baseboards where the stages hide.

## Commonly confused with

- **American dog tick** (*Dermacentor variabilis*) — The shield behind the head carries conspicuous white or silvery mottled ornamentation, unlike the blacklegged tick's solid dark shield.

**Verdict:** professional-recommended. An indoor-breeding tick population needs coordinated veterinary and structural action; addressing only one side reliably fails.


Source: https://againstpest.shop/identify/ticks/brown-dog-tick/