This is one of the most widely distributed ticks on the world and there are records of its occurrence on a number of hosts.  By far the most common host is the domestic dog and the brown tick is virtually restricted to this host in the United States.  There are occasional collection records of people and domestic cats as hosts, but these records are generally for instances where there has been close contact with infested dogs.  In other parts of the world, this tick seems to have a somewhat wider range of hosts.  Under normal circumstances in North America, all feeding stages of the tick feed on dogs.  The adults commonly attach to the ears and between the toes, and the larvae and nymphs are often found in hair along the back.   While these developmental stages are often found on the indicated host body regions, they are not restricted to these regions and may be found on practically any part of the dog's body.

When individuals of each feeding stage become fully engorged, they drop from the host and seek some protected situation in the immediate surroundings.  For this reason, all tick life stages may be found behind baseboards, under window and door moldings, in window pulley openings or in furniture.  Couple this behavior with the climbing behavior of newly hatched larvae or other stages which have not obtained a blood meal recently, and one can understand why nearly all cracks and crevices in an infested premise must be carefully treated in order to obtain good tick control.  Homeowner calls usually occur in the late summer and fall when ticks are encountered crawling on carpeting, walls and sometimes furniture.

Brown dog ticks can be found outdoors in the southern United States during any time of the year, but are found outdoors during the warm months in the northern United States.  It is generally believed that this species of tick cannot overwinter in the more northern United States except within a heated structure.

Adult male ticks are flat, about 1/8 inch long and uniformly re-brown with tiny pits scattered over the back.  They do not enlarge upon feeding as do females  Before feeding, adult female ticks resemble the males in size, shape and color.  As they feed, females become engorged and swell to 1/2 inch long and 1/4 inch wide.  The legs, mouthparts and shield area behind the head remain red-brown, but the enlarged portion of the body becomes gray-blue to olive.  The red-brown color is distinctive and no other tick normally encountered  will be uniformly red-brown.

Egg-laying begins about three days after the engorged adult female drops from the dog.  She may deposit as many as 5,000 eggs in places such as between boards, under plaster or carpeting, or in other cracks and crevices.   The eggs usually hatch in about three weeks, although up to several months may be required under particularly cool or dry conditions.  After hatching, the larvae wait months while waiting for a host.  Once on the host, the larvae feed for about three days and then drop off.  Molting occurs about one week after the blood meal, and nymphs emerge to climb vegetation or vertical surfaces to again wait for a host.  The second feeding will last about four days, after which they again drop off, to molt into the adult stage.  Adults can live up to 1 1/2 years, without feeding, but must feed before mating.  After mating, the female completely engorges herself with blood and then drops off the host to lay eggs.

A home can become heavily infested if the family dog picks up ticks from an infested residence, during which time some ticks may drop off.  In this case, the home and yard may become infested even though a dog is not generally kept there.  Dogs do not become infested with brown dog ticks by direct contact with other dogs.  Ticks feeding on a dog drop off and molt before they will resume host-seeking behavior and attach to another dog.

 It is essential to treat the home, the yard and the animal simultaneously. The best control is prevention of infestations in the house or kennel. Discuss tick control with your veterinarian; preventing engorgement of the ticks on dogs is critical to management of the tick and the well-being of the dog. Treatments with fipronil (in sprays and spot-ons), amitraz (often in flea and tick collars), permethrin (sprays and shampoos) and deltamethrin (shampoos) have been reported as effective. Regular treatment will minimize the chances of a dog picking up a tick and the tick successfully feeding. Treatment will also reduce attachment by other species of tick, such as the American dog tick or the blacklegged tick. Once an infestation has started, thorough treatment of the dogs is critical and may need to be repeated several times. Follow your veterinarian's instructions and the directions on the any tick control product you use. Dogs should be examined regularly and attached ticks removed and disposed of. It may be necessary to treat the house or kennel, paying particular attention to cracks and crevices. Pest control operators should be consulted. Other mammals should be monitored and treated if necessary, but be careful about treatments used on cats. Some tick and flea treatments for dogs are poisonous in cats. People should check themselves regularly; although rare in the US this species will bite humans. DEET (found in many insect repellents) does repel these ticks, but may not be practical if an infestation is inside a house.

Prior to treatment, thoroughly vacuum all carpets, rugs, and any area where pet frequents including furniture. Discard the vacuum cleaner bag immediately after use. All tick life stages can be found in cracks and crevices in the infested home. Insect growth regulators are suggested for their ability to interrupt the tick life cycle and are particularly recommended because of their safety to humans and pets. Several other products are registered for use against adult ticks and may be combined with one of the growth regulators to provide rapid knock-down of the adults present along with residual effectiveness against the immature stages. Spray all carpet, rugs, baseboards, furniture, flooring beneath furniture and flooring adjacent to walls.  Pay close attention to areas frequented by pets. 

Outdoors, special attention should be paid to lawns, shrubbery and crawl spaces under buildings of any size.  These areas should be thoroughly treated to kill ticks and to prevent infestations of fleas, ticks, ants and other pests.  Treat all tick habitats, spraying shrubbery up to a height of 2 to 3 feet.  If at all possible, mow grass and weeds on any vacant lot frequented by you, your pets and any other creature (rats, mice, raccoons, birds, reptiles) that can come into contact with your family.  

Non-chemical tick control procedures should be implemented along with chemical control methods.  These non-chemical control measures will greatly reduce tick problems.  Keeping grass and weeds cut short in tick infested areas increases tick desiccation during hot weather, discourages alternative hosts and lessens the amount of plant material which may need a pesticide application to kill ticks.   Removal of birds' nests in and around the property will reduce tick numbers.  Removal of clutter and debris on the property will also discourage rodent populations.  You should also remove nesting material left by rodents.  Screening and sealing entry points (used by squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, rodents, bats, etc.) to houses and other structures will also greatly reduce tick problems   in and around the home.  Sealing cracks and crevices where ticks can hide, both inside and on the exterior of your home, will aid in tick management.