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I just heard a rumor that Lavender oil prevents fleas when used on dogs. Researching this I found one source (Prevetion.com) which provides a claim,

Research has found that lavender can be effective at repelling mosquitos and other arthropods. It’s not clear why the flowering plant can act as a repellent, though—it could just be that the smell doesn’t appeal to bugs, Pereira says. “What is pleasant to you does not have to be pleasant to other humans, other mammals, other vertebrates, or other animals including invertebrates such as mosquitoes,” he says.

They link to the paper, Essential Oils as Repellents against Arthropods.

You can find plenty of other claims some dating back hundreds of years

During the great plagues in Europe, lavender oil was credited as being an insect repellent and used to repel the fleas that were spread by rats.

Is it sound to conclude that lavender oil when sprayed onto a dog will be effective at repelling fleas?

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    Related sister site question; Can dish soap really be used to kill ticks and fleas?
    – James Jenkins
    Jul 21, 2020 at 17:55
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    Hundreds of years ago, fleas had not been identified as the transmission vector for plague. Instead miasma theory was seen as most likely and simple contagion another, so the beaked plague masks contained scented items to clean the air. Lavender may easily have been one of these since it smells, though an example of a description says dried flowers (including roses and carnations), herbs (including mint), spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge
    – Henry
    Jul 22, 2020 at 16:04

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