What is the best way to keep them off a dog?

Seresto collar. Expensive, but worth it IMHO

I wash my GSP every week with Adams flea shampoo, and spray the yard twice a year. Ticks will attach but are dead by the time I find them.

He never tolerated the Frontline type meds.

I love the Adams products too but in a pinch plain old blue Dawn dish detergent does a number on the fleas ....

Frontline Plus works well for both fleas and ticks up here. Must be applied properly and not for dogs who go swimming every day.

Vet up here recommends Frontline along with wearing a flea/tick collar.

Pa has become a tick paradise. I've sat down and removed 30-40 from the Dog after a relatively short run. Run them again and it is a repeat. Light spray with repellant does a good job of keeping the majority in the wood.

Used to see very few orders from the ER for tick bites. Now it is common.

I had confirmed Lymes at least once and flair ups that have a good possibility of being related. One Dog died from it. On the Dog or you, pay attention and do all you can to keep them from attaching.

We moved from a place that was mostly open grasses and basically no trees in the yard to a place that is mature timber and not much grass due to the shade. Went from never having ticks on the dogs to them being covered. Tried shampoos and cheap collars and Frontline, nothing seemed to work. Wife bought the Seresto collar for the two pooches, and haven't seen a single tick on either one since then. Well worth the money.