The brown dog tick is a hard tick that spends all its life cycle in and near the living quarters of its host. Engorged females drop off and crawl into cracks and crevices to lay eggs. Larvae and nymphs also hide in such places and come out only when ready to feed. Dog kennels, runs,and houses may shelter hundreds of hiding ticks. Adult unengorged females resemble males.
Females have gray-blue to olive bodies.
The nymphs resemble adult females, but are smaller. The larvae resemble small nymphs, but have six legs. The eggs, laid in groups of thousands, show a whitish spot just before hatching, but are smooth, shiny dark brown, otherwise. After laying eggs, the shriveled female dies. Under ideal conditions the life cycle may be completed in about two months, however, under normal conditions, with a host present, there are usually 3 to 4 generations per year.