Ticks

[Minda and Callie]

We just moved recently to Omaha from Phoenix and are experiencing ticks for the first time.  Our back yard is connected to a wooded park land.  Could someone give me a crash course on how to prevent ticks?  Besides my doodle I have a small shih tzu who is very unfriendly when it comes to touching him.  I see a black spot on him and I am thinking it's a tick but he won't let me near it.  I think I am going to have to take him to the vet for help.  I can't see paying for a vet bill every time he gets one. And I don't even know for sure it could be one.  Any suggestions? I do have him on Simple Guard 3 but even putting that on is a challenge. So bummed right now.  Wish Doggie Dan could come help me ;(

[Minda and Callie]

Thanks Mari but Sam is a special kind of dog.  The one that is good 90 percent of the time but that 10 percent you have to watch out.  It took the vet and the vet assistant two towels wrapped around his head and then his mouth closed with a shoe string to get the one tick off.  If you try and touch him to do something like that he will bite you hard.  I have tried everything with him.  Including taking him to the only animal behaviorist vet in Arizona.  She explained it to me this way, if there can be crazy people in this world why can't there be crazy dogs?  He is on medication but it doesn't really help.  So my choices are to live with him and do my best by avoiding the things that set him off or put him to sleep.  I can't do the second.  It's because of the 90 percent of the time that I love him.  But I did buy the tick key and I know it will come in handy with Callie :)