Probably a stupid question but....

[insan1tyscartching]

How do you know if a dog has fleas?
Eric has been really scratchy these last few days, I've brushed him, looked at his skin and can't see anything as to why he's scratching and nobody here has been bitten but feel neurotic that I might have missed something.
We have used Frontline from him being small but today I popped in to the vet's and got Advocate to treat next week when Frontline would be due as vet nurse recommended it as being superior (didn't take Eric as was on way home from shopping).
So could he have fleas even after Frontline? Is Advocate better? What should I be looking for? Any thoughts?

He will lose patches of hair and if you look close enough you will see the little buggers.

Look under his arm pits, in the skin just before his ears (front) and anywhere where he has thin fur like on his belly.

Fleas are usually more visible there. Otherwise look for little black dots which is their poo.

Frontline is shit. Don't use it anymore. They have developed an immunity against it

Right, he hasn't lost hair so far anyway but he has a poodle coat if that would make a difference. I have rubbish eyesight though so could quite easily have missed seeing them and Eric's not exactly one for lying still as he likes to make sure you are stroking his preferred spots. Can't wait to put the Advocate on, he's due next Tuesday.

I'd stick it on him today ,I doubt a few days makes any difference . Have you walked him anywhere different that he could have been allergic to something - my dog gets very itchy / bitey when he goes in nettles .

Floral I'm glad you said that because I've been pondering whether the three or four days would make much difference. I've read on the box that it kills all fleas in two hours so should know pretty quickly if it was fleas if he stops scratching I'd hope. He's at the groomers next Thursday so I'd like it on asap anyway.
He goes all over so fields,woods, trails, roads, streams and rivers he could have been in anything tbh as he's not exactly choosy on the terrain or the buddies he befriends Hope to God he hasn't passed fleas onto our regular walk mates

Get a Seresto collar, they're not cheap but they're effective against fleas and ticks for 7 months.

They work on my dog and he spends a lot of time at the farm, we've not had a tick since we got it!

dampen a piece of white paper and put it next to or under your dog and rub his fur then look at the paper if if has lots of little reddy brown dots that's flea poo! Frontline doesn't work so well anymore the fleas are getting resistance to it. I use nexguard tablets on my two and have had no fleas or ticks so far.

Well have put on the Advocate and the itching has pretty much stopped so I think I can assume it was fleas even if I haven't actually found one Do I need to buy stuff to spray the house now as well? I feel really ignorant about it all tbh pretty much assuming that so long as he had Frontline on every month then we wouldn't have any bother. I won't be buying Frontline again and am going to look at the collars as well as it feels a bit like it did when the dc were young and headlice were doing the rounds.