The Brown dog tick is almost exclusively a parasite of dogs.
For this reason, all tick life stages may be found behind baseboards, under window and door moldings, in window pulley openings or in furniture.

Adults are found most often in the ears and between the toes of dogs.
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.

The brown dog tick is a putative vector of Ehrlichia canis, a blood protozoan parasite that causes canine Ehrlichiosis. Other pathogens are Rickettsia rickettsia, R. belli, R. rhipicephali, R. montana and Babesia canis, another protozoan parasite that causes canine Babesiosis.