The 7 Best Flea Collars Australia: Tested & Evaluated 2024

Every pet parent must get acquainted with flea prevention. This is especially true for dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Plenty of options are available when it comes to preventing fleas and ticks, and a flea collar offers one of the most convenient solutions. However, with the various available dog collars in the Australian market, it is difficult to determine which one to get.

So, to address this concern, our expert team and various professionals decided to conduct a study to find the best flea collar in Australia. After months of testing, we came up with a list to help you and your dog avoid fleas.

Today, with the results of our research, we will also talk about the best flea collars available, how to choose the right one, and why they are one of the best dog collars available.

Australia's Best Dog Flea Collars Reviewed

Seresto is one of the most popular collars for flea & tick protection in the world. Millions of pet parents have used it, and are happy with the results. Seresto collars are made by Bayer, one of the oldest and biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. If nothing else, that should tell us that they hold their products to high standards.

So why is a Seresto collar so good? Well, most importantly, it’s effective. When you put on this collar, your pooch will be totally free from fleas and ticks within 48 hours. The collar actually starts to repel fleas within 2 hours and ticks within 4 hours, but it takes a longer time to see the effect if your dog is already infested with some of these pests.

Moreover, a Seresto collar lasts a long time thanks to a special formulation that allows the collar to release small amounts of pest-repelling chemicals consistently over long periods of time. Under ideal conditions, a single collar will last 8 months. However, you should consider changing the collar after 5 to 7 months if your dog spends a lot of time in water. Although Seresto is water-resistant, it loses effectiveness faster if it’s often in contact with water.

Another positive for the Seresto collar is how easy it is to put on, it doesn’t smell, and it’s not greasy like some other collars. As an added benefit it also kills lice and helps with treatment and control of Sarcoptic mange. While these are problems that you might not be thinking about if your dog doesn’t have them, it’s good to know you have protection.

Compared with Rolf Club 3D collar, this collar ranks first among the best flea collars in Australia in terms of effectiveness in preventing fleas, as it can take effect within hours. This brand is widely known, so you can find a lot of reviews about their products and know if they are reliable.

So far, Seresto sounds amazing, right? However, this collar does have some downsides. The ingredients that make the collar so effective are flumethrin and imidacloprid, pesticides that are effective at killing fleas and ticks but also toxic for other living beings, including bees. For ecologically-conscious pet parents, this can be a deal-breaker. On the other hand, if you live in an area where tick or flea-borne diseases are frequent, it might be a small price to pay for the effectiveness of this collar.

Still, what we like about this product is its water-resistant feature, which allows continuous protection for our dogs even if they get wet.

Also, it is odourless, so you and your dog won't be bothered by any smell. It's as if they are just wearing a simple collar!

Rolf Club 3D is a new name on the market, but the product they offer is quite similar to Seresto. The collar contains a powerful formula that will effectively repel not only fleas and ticks, but also mosquitoes, lice, and midges. If you live in an area where there is a high risk of heartworm infection, the fact that this collar repels mosquitoes can make a lot of difference, since heartworms are transmitted by mosquito bites.

This collar is easy to put on as any other. Just like Seresto, it has no smell and isn’t greasy. It releases the protective chemicals slowly, which allows the Rolf Club 3D Collar to be effective for 6 to 8 months. The collar is waterproof too, although you should be prepared for the collar to lose its effectiveness a bit before the 6 month mark if your dog spends a lot of time in water.

It seems that this collar is quite effective too, judging both from the reviews so far and from the components included in the formula. The collar will kill all existing fleas and ticks within 48 hours. Thanks to D-cypheronthin, it will paralyse ticks before they bite, which is great as your dog doesn’t have to go through any painful bites for the treatment to become effective.

Unlike Kiltix, we put this as our second option because it is also waterproof like the first one, and it can prevent not only ticks, but also fleas and mosquitos from getting into your dog's skin and coat. It can be an all-in-one collar for your dog!

As you might suspect, a formula this effective consists of powerful insecticides. These insecticides are not only bad for fleas, they have a negative effect on bees too and a negative impact on the environment.

Since they are a relatively unknown name, it’s hard to trust Rolf Club 3D collars. However, they do offer a 30 day warranty. If the collar is not effective, they say they will reimburse the money spent.

We recommend this one for fur parents who want to try a new product and whose dogs are at risk from these various types of insects which can cause your pet harm.

Also, we like how they included a warranty for dog owners to test the effectiveness of their products, considering that their brand is still unknown, which is a good way of increasing their credibility.

The Kiltix collar is another product from Bayer. This collar is much cheaper than Seresto, but it contains the same main ingredient - flumethrin. Besides flumethrin, it does have a slightly different composition, but this one seems to be highly effective too.

The lower price does come with some disadvantages though. Namely, the Kiltix collar will not stay effective as long as Seresto and it is not waterproof. If you don’t take your dog swimming, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. But if you do, then having to take off the collar all the time could be a bit annoying.

Compared to Seresto, Kiltix is more affordable, and its ingredients do not contain such strong pesticides, which can be harmful to the environment, making it into our top three. Also, it can possibly have adverse effects on dogs like Seresto, which happens on rare occasions.

Kiltix is effective against most ticks for 6 months, and repels fleas for 5 months. There is one thing to keep in mind - when it comes to Ixodes holocyclus, commonly known as the Australian paralysis tick, Klitix will only provide effective protection for 6 weeks. This type of tick is quite dangerous and can cause serious issues in dogs. Paralysis ticks are currently found all along the eastern coastline of Australia, but seem to be creeping into other parts year on year. (1)

However, we love this product because it only kills ticks, which is good if you have many bees and other insects in your location.

We love how this product does not compromise other organisms' safety in exchange for killing a small population of ticks.

This collar is quite similar to the original Seresto collar, only adapted to puppies. It is just as effective as the original Seresto collar, only smaller and containing an adapted, smaller dose of active ingredients. Besides puppies, this collar is also suitable for small and tiny dogs (under 8 kg).

Overall, this collar works great for puppies. It is quite thin so the dog won’t really notice it. That makes it much easier to get puppies used to wearing it. It also doesn’t smell, which is helpful as there will be no smell to confuse them. This collar is also waterproof and will protect your pup from ticks and fleas for at least 6 months.

Compared to Kiltix collar, this brand kills not just ticks and fleas, but also other insects like mosquitos, which makes it our fourth option among the best flea collars in Australia, and also it is made specifically for puppies.

The only downside of this collar is the same as with most similar treatments. The pesticides used as active ingredients are so strong, they will definitely incapacitate any pests that come close to your pup. But, consequently, they are not really good for the environment either.

However, we like its effectiveness in killing such insects that harms our puppies. It is guaranteed to work within hours, unlike other brands and can last longer, too!

Also, we love its waterproof feature because our puppies love to explore their surroundings, so even if they get wet, you won't worry about the collar losing its anti-flea feature.

Moreover, while these ingredients are generally safe for dogs if the collar is used as recommended, Seresto has been known to cause adverse reactions in some dogs who might be hypersensitive to some of the ingredients (2). 

If you want to avoid synthetic pesticides in your dog’s collar, your best bet is choosing a natural alternative, but you still want one that is as strong as possible. That’s exactly why we recommend this collar from Arava.

This tick prevention collar is made with a mix of all-natural oils - and not just any oils. They have combined 11 essential oils that are all known to repel fleas, ticks, and other insects. If you are wondering, these are: geranium oil, clove oil, lemongrass oil, citronella oil, rosemary oil, castor oil, cedarwood oil, cinnamon oil, peppermint oil, thyme oil, and soybean oil.

Although that is quite a long list of ingredients, we really loved the fact that everything is natural and clearly understandable. Besides the actual collar that is made of plastic, these are the only ingredients that go onto your canine companion. Arava also uses a slow-release technology similar to that of Seresto, so the collar will release small amounts of the oil mixture into your pup’s coat over the course of 5-6 months. The collar will even remain effective after bathing, which is rare for tick & flea prevention collars with natural ingredients.

Compared to Seresto, this brand offers an alternative solution for the insects without using harsh ingredients that is harmful for the environment, which is why we put this as our fifth option among all the flea collars that we tested. 

Now, that all sounds nice, but this collar does have some downsides. First of all, the smell of essential oils is pretty strong when you open the package. It doesn’t matter if you like the smell or not, such strong smells can make dogs nervous (or really induce all sorts of reactions) since their sense of smell is much more sensitive than ours. However, the smell will lose its intensity in a day or two if you leave the collar outside of the package.

We love that this promotes natural ingredients and that the brand considers other insects and the environment.

However, even if it is not synthetic, we like how the effectiveness of the product is not compromised so that it can still repel insects for our dogs to be protected.

The Arava collar does contain some of the most powerful essential oils for fighting fleas and ticks - but these are simply not as effective as pesticides. They will not kill ticks, but will repel them. We actually found that the collar works quite well, but it is best used for prevention - that is on dogs that are not already infested with fleas or ticks.

This flea and tick prevention collar from Natural Care is another good option for those who don’t like mystery ingredients in products they use on their dogs. In fact, this collar contains only two active ingredients, and both are all-natural essential oils: cedarwood oil and peppermint oil.

Now, it is nice to know that your collar is non-toxic and made with simple ingredients, but does it really work? Well, it seems so. Cedarwood oil, in particular, has been proven to act as a tick repellent and even kill ticks in high dosages.

Compared to Arava collar, this brand is not that expensive, so you can get natural ingredients at an affordable price, making it the top six among the best flea collars we have on the list. Not to mention that it is waterproof, too!

The collar also received lots of positive reviews. Is this guaranteed to be as effective as full-power insecticide collars like Seresto? No. Does it usually work? Yes. In short, we do recommend this collar in general, but if you live in an area where dangerous tick-borne illnesses are common, you might want a stronger level of protection.

We love how it provides an adjustable feature for us to fit the collar perfectly into our dogs, allowing them to move around without any hassle and discomfort.

Thanks to the essential oils, this collar does have a bit of a smell, but it’s not too strong. The collar will release the oils slowly over time and it will protect your dog for up to 4 months. It is water-resistant, which means your pooch can go swimming or walking in the ran with the collar on.

This collar from Beloved Pets is another natural way to protect your pooch from fleas and ticks. The collar is safe, durable, and not too expensive.

All natural collars for fleas and ticks have similar ingredients, but there are always some differences. This one contains rosemary oil, geranium oil, citronella oil, and soybean oil. All of these have been proven to have a repelling effect on pests such as fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. The collar has received lots of positive reviews too.

This makes it into our list of the best flea collars because unlike Natural Care repellent flea and tick collars for dogs and puppies, this brand actually lasts longer using natural ingredients and not synthetic ones.

However, even though we know some of these oils do repel ticks, their effectiveness in such concentrations as provided by a collar have not been independently tested. The collar does seem to work well, but it is not an option that is guaranteed to work.

What we love about this brand is that it can be used for puppies. Most of the flea collars have strong ingredients that are not suitable for puppies.

Also, it does not contain any pesticides, so other insects, especially those that are not harmful to dogs, are safe.

This collar will offer protection that will last up to 6 months. It is also safe to use on puppies, providing they are older than 7 weeks.

How I Choose A Dog Flea Collar

When it comes to dog flea collars, you essentially have two choices: either go with one of the pharmaceutical formulas, or choose a natural alternative. Each of these two options has its own advantages and disadvantages, so let’s consider them in turn:

Standard Flea Collars

When we say “standard” flea collars, we mean the most popular kind like Seresto and Kiltix. These collars are made by pharmaceutical companies and their active ingredients are pesticides. Seresto, in particular, contains a cocktail of two chemicals called flumethrin and imidacloprid.

Kiltix and Rolf Club 3D collar have a slightly different formula, but the principle on which they work is very similar. Namely, they use strong pesticides which are known to be effective against both fleas and ticks. The quantities of these pesticides used in dog flea collars are small, which makes them generally safe for you and your dog.

However, this doesn’t mean that these powerful collars are 100% safe. You should wash your hands after touching them and, in general, dogs should be prevented from licking or chewing such a collar (especially important if you have multiple pets). These collars should also be kept out of reach of children:  

This type of collar is the most effective protection as they rarely fail, and they will protect your dog for months. But, as you could imagine, the active ingredients in them are slightly toxic, and an added downside is most of these pesticides are harmful to bees, are in general, not good for our environment. A recent study done in the UK found pesticides from flea protection products for pets ultimately end up in rivers, which is definitely bad news (4).

Now, the concentration of pesticides in a dog’s collar is quite small, and it’s completely understandable that you might want to use this option in order to provide the strongest protection your dog might have. But, in general there is a need to find more sustainable solutions.

Natural Options

If you don’t want to use dog flea collars with pesticide ingredients, there is an alternative: natural flea collars. These collars usually contain a mix of essential oils, and some of them actually work quite well.

When it comes to effectiveness of essential oils, more research has been done concerning ticks rather than fleas. Cedarwood oil, for example, has been shown to be especially effective for killing ticks (5). Oils of citronella, clove, and lily of the valley have also shown promising results in controlled studies (6). Not enough research has been done about the effectiveness of essential oils in flea treatment, but there are some studies that indicate it could be possible that they work (7).

Which Option Is Better?

The question of the best flea and tick treatment is hard to settle because the answer will depend on your circumstances and on what is more important to you.

Collars like Seresto are guaranteed to work - there is no mistake about that. However, although it’s quite rare, they do sometimes cause adverse reactions in dogs and they are dangerous if a dog (or a child) were to eat it accidentally.

Natural flea and tick treatments, on the other hand, are kind of hit and miss. Some will work better than others and it will also depend on the area where you live and the types of pests around.

My Final Thoughts

What flea collar should you get? Seresto is definitely number one on the market, at least in terms of popularity. This collar is also very effective and long-lasting, although it does contain pesticides that are slightly toxic. If you prefer to go the natural route, the Arava collar is one of the most effective natural flea treatments available.

We recommend these two collars as they are the most effective ones, but it is important to consider what works for you, your dog, and your environment.

Want to learn more about dog collars? Check out our below guides:

• Best Martingale Dog Collars
• Best Puppy Collars
• Best GPS Dog Collars
• Best Dog Barking Collars
• Best Citronella Collar
• Best LED Dog Collar

References

1. Hall‐Mendelin, S., et al. (2011). "Tick paralysis in Australia caused by Ixodes holocyclus Neumann." Annals of Tropical Medicine & Parasitology, 105.2 (2011): 95-106. https://doi.org/10.1179%2F136485911X12899838413628
2. Coger, L. December 27, 2017. “Why I don’t recommend Seresto collars”. The Healthy Dog Workshop. Retrieved November 12, 2023. https://healthydogworkshop.com/why-i-dont-recommend-seresto-collars/
3. Coates, J. April 11, 2023. “How to Choose the Safest Flea Treatment for Your Dog”. PetMD. Retrieved November 12, 2023. https://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/how-choose-safest-flea-treatment-your-dog
4. Perkins, R., et al. (2021). "Potential role of veterinary flea products in widespread pestiside contamination of English rivers". Science of the Total Environment, 755(1), 10 February 2021, 143560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143560 
5. Eller, F J et al. (2014). “Bioactivity of cedarwood oil and cedrol against arthropod pests.” Environmental Entomology vol. 43,3 (2014): 762-6. doi:10.1603/EN13270
6. Thorsell, W., Mikiver, A., Tunon, H. (2006). "Repelling properties of some plant materials on the tick Ixodes ricinus L." Phytomedicine, 13.1-2 (2006): 132-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2004.04.008 
7. Benelli, G., Pavela, R. (2018). "Beyond mosquitoes—essential oil toxicity and repellency against bloodsucking insects." Industrial Crops and Products, 117 (2018): 382-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.02.072