Here are some things to try that will hopefully keep your dog from itching and scratching and make him a much happier dog!

I hope by giving you some tried and tested suggestions to try on your dog, that he will live a scratch-free life.  These are the solutions that have proven to work for me. There might be more, but these are the ones that I've actually tried and tested so these are the ones I'll be focusing on in my guide:

Dogs itch for a variety of reasons:
Fleas, soap residue, seborrheic dermatitis, food allergies and hot spots are the more common ones.

• Fleas make your dog itch. Make sure you're treating all your animals with flea drops. I found out that frontline plus drops are the best! It protects your dog from fleas and ticks and you just have to put the drops on the back of their neck once a month...easy! If you don't have the extra money for flea meds try this home remedy that has proven to work! Garlic! give your dog garlic pills to ward off fleas. You can crush them up sprinkle them over his food.  Once the dog has them built up in his system, the fleas will not jump on him. They can't stand the smell! You can also use regular garlic cloves. Wrap them in a piece of bacon...your dog will eat it up! Another safe flea repelent is emu oil...read on....

• Washing a dog too much is not good for it's coat. The dog needs the oils from his skin to keep it from drying out. It dries it out and causes itching. We, as owners, take away the natural oils from the dog and leave him with nothing. And, we are hardly ever getting all the soap residue rinsed properly so it is left on the coat to make the dog itch and scratch at it's flaky skin. Or, he simply may be allergic to the shampoo you're using. Try to bathe him less often.  If you must bathe your dog, I suggest emu oil. Yep, emu oil.  It comes in a consentrate 4 in 1 dog shampoo that lasts forever! IT KILLS FLEAS SAFELY TOO! It's a great alternative to flea medications. I use it since my dog is allergic to everything! You can buy it for $13.95 on the high cascade emu website here: http://www.highcascadeemus.com/xcart/product.php?productid=3&cat=5&page=1  OR here if that link doesn't work try here:  http://www.highcascadeemus.com/  
  

• Now, we must make sure your dog is getting those oils back into his skin and coat. For healthy skin/coat the doctor gave my dog some over the counter product that was a mixture of oils and vitamins to pour right over my dog's food.  Dogs love it....they just lap it right up. If you don't want to go into the expense of buying it from the vet, just poor a teaspoon or so of Olive oil over your dog's food along with some nutritional yeast (you can buy the nutritional yeast at a health food shop....it's very inexpensive) Fred Meyer has it in bulk food bins!  Use it about 4 times a month on your dog's food.
  

• To relieve itching on your dog.  I use a product called Relief. It's a spray, comes in a bottle and it's for the temporary relief of itching and dicomfort. It has Omega-6 fatty acids, Pramoxine HCI, moisturizers, coat conditioners, and colloidal oatmeal for dermal renourishing. You just spray it right on their skin...my dog loved it!! He was itching all the time due to an allergy he had with some treats I was giving him. This spray is awesome!  It's for itching and flaking casued by seborrheic dermatitis. You can use it on dogs and cats. I got it at my vet and itt's NOT a prescription. You just use it when they need some temporary relief from itching.  It's wonderful for HOT SPOTS too!!
  

• To check your dog for food allergies, simply take away the dog's treats and biscuits etc.. and then add them back into his diet one by one to see which one's he's allergic too. Watch for itching and hair falling out and dry skin...my dog had them all!! He was allergic to the raw hide pig's skin teethers and the colored dry bisquits. Another common mistake by owners is feeding your dog cat food. Never give a dog cat food! It contains vitamin C and can make your dog vomit and cough uncontrolably over time.
  

Special Notes:
All the products I talked about are safe and over-the-counter. Call your vet to find out more about the products I've talked about, to make sure they are right for your dog's situation.
Stay away from dyes and perfumes in shampoos.
Stay away from dyes and colors in foods and treats like buscuits.
Wash your dogs bedding in hot water and mild soap and rinse thouroughly.
Call your vet for more info or do a search in google for some helpful tips online. Find out what works best for your dog.

Good luck!