Hi
My Collie is always picking up ticks from the fields and for many years I have used a special tool to grab them and pull them out complete. However I met a gamekeeper a few eeks back who advised me to take hold of the tick and turn to the right quickly and it would drop off. Must admit I was a bit squimish holding the tick but tried it last night and it works!

There are so many tools and lotions which cost a fair bit of money and I was just so surprised at how quick and easy this was. Has anyone else tried this method?

You can hold a recently lighted match head to a tick's body and it will let go of it's bite... My mom has done this on me!

Must admit a few years ago I tried a lit cigarette held to the ticks body but just didn't have any success and was scared the dog would be burned by the time the tick let go.

I think that your best bet is to just pull them off and drop them in a little cup of rubbing alcohol. Tweezers work really great since it gets under them. Then you can watch the little buggers burn to death in the rubbing alcohol. To quote Bender "That guy won't be going home to his kids" .

We've always just used the tweezers & twisted the tick clock-wise (or maybe that's counterclock-wise) to get them off. I do suggest dropping them in rubbing alcohol, this way you know that particular tick won't be getting on your dog (or child, or you) again. My dad used to keep a bottle of the stuff, ticks & all, in the bathroom. It was gross.

When we had one we used tweezers as well and easily got all of the tick out.