How can I make my dog stop scatching?

If he truly has a hot spot, you need to take him to the vet. Hot spots begin as a moist dermatitis that develops into a bacterial infection. They’ll put him on a systemic antibiotic, likely a systemic steroid, and possibly a topical steroid.

For chronic itchy skin, you need to make sure that you’ve got all of the groundwork done – good quality diet, good quality shampoo, flea control (even if you don’t think that you have them), and a fatty acid supplement.

If all of these conditions are met and he still has problems, it’s time to seek the help of a veterinary dermatologist.

@SYZ fatty acid supplement? What is this? He eats Iams dog food, he get sprayed for fleas with prescrition flea spray once a month, and I use dog shampoo from Petsmart.

Some animals that have naturally dry skin benefit from taking a fatty acid supplement. It tends to make their coat glossier and research indicates that some components actually interfere with some of the cascade of responses that causes itching. You can get it from your vet or from a high quality pet store. It’s usually a capsule that you can give or squirt on their food.