I never used anything on my dogs until we had problems last summer with the dog food & the veterinary thought the dogs were allergic to something in their environment so he suggested frontline. It was expensive & kept the ticks off of them. I go over the dogs several times a day picking ticks off of them. If they are flapping their ears it tells me ticks are on & around their heads. The apple cidar vinegar is something friends were using to treat their horses in the summer to keep flys, mosquitoes, etc off of them. I have used apple cider vinegar to wash the dogs coats down. It brings on a nice shiney coat & isn't harsh on their coats. I wonder if it wouldn't work on ticks if given orally? Will check out natural repellents to.