Ticks can grow up to 50 times their regular size, simply by feeding on the blood of their host. So, its important for both yourself and your dog to carry out tick control measures to minimize the environment in which they flourish.

Ticks are painful, and can spread disease, such as lyme disease and rocky mountain disease.

Here are three steps for tick control in your yard:

1. Keep your garden and yard trimmed and clear of anything above ankle height. Ticks like vegetation that is several feet off the ground. Then they can more easily attack themselves to passers by - such as yourself or your dogs. Keeping your yard in good condition will take away this vantage point.

2. Make sure mice and other rodent populations in your yard are controlled. They provide a great place for ticks to grow and hatch lots of eggs. The more baby ticks being carried around on the backs of mice, the more chance a tick will end up on you. So clean up areas that have a lot of garbage or piled wood and other objects. And clear up any rock piles.

3. If you have a lot of mice running around, there is a product that will kill the ticks on the mice, but not the mice. Called Daminix, it is insecticide soaked balls of cotton wool that you place in areas that mice will pick them up to build their nests. They do not harm any small animals, just fleas and ticks.