diff --git a/lib/nested_hash.rb b/lib/nested_hash.rb
index fd9eb4c3..48574b7e 100644
--- a/lib/nested_hash.rb
+++ b/lib/nested_hash.rb
@@ -25,11 +25,11 @@ def add(hash)
   # generate a flat, non-nested hash
   # with keys that have dots representing the hierarchy
   def withdotkeys(deep_hash = self, flat_hash = {}, root = '')
-    deep_hash.each do |key, value|
-      if deep_hash[key].is_a?(Hash)
+    deep_hash.each do |k, value|
+      key = root + k
+      if value.is_a?(Hash)
         flat_hash.merge! withdotkeys(value, flat_hash, key + '.')
       else
-        key = "#{root}#{key}" if not root.empty?
         flat_hash[key] = value
       end
     end
@@ -37,15 +37,15 @@ def withdotkeys(deep_hash = self, flat_hash = {}, root = '')
   end
 
   # generate a list of the keys with dots representing the hierarchy
-  def dotkeys(row = self, prefix = '', path = [])
+  def dotkeys(row = self, prefix = '')
     human_names = []
-    paths = []
-    row.keys.each do |key|
-      if row[key].is_a?(Hash)
-        new_human_names = dotkeys(row[key], key + '.')
-        human_names += new_human_names
+    row.keys.each do |k|
+      key = prefix + k
+      if row[k].is_a?(Hash)
+        new_human_names = dotkeys(row[k], key + '.')
+          human_names += new_human_names
       else
-        human_names << prefix + key
+        human_names << key
       end
     end
     human_names
diff --git a/spec/lib/nested_hash_spec.rb b/spec/lib/nested_hash_spec.rb
index da234581..e3364345 100644
--- a/spec/lib/nested_hash_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/nested_hash_spec.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 require 'nested_hash'
 
 describe NestedHash do
-  let(:input) { {"loc.x" => 1, "loc.y" => 2, "foo.a" => 10, "foo.b" => 20, "loc.z" => 3}}
-  let(:expected) {{"loc" => {"x" => 1, "y" => 2, "z" => 3}, "foo" => {"a" => 10, "b" => 20}}}
+  let(:input) { {"loc.x" => 1, "loc.y" => 2, "foo.a" => 10, "foo.b" => 20, "foo.c.baz" => 3,}}
+  let(:expected) {{"loc" => {"x" => 1, "y" => 2}, "foo" => {"a" => 10, "b" => 20, "c" => { "baz" => 3}}}}
 
   let(:symbol_keys) { {x:1, y:2}}
   let(:symbol_keys_result) { {'x' => 1, 'y' => 2}}