Natural tick repellent

My 12 year old shih-tzu just had a really bad reaction to a Frontline treatment my mom gave her a couple of days ago. She's been in pain, pacing, whining, yelping if anyone touches her, and panting. I google searched her symptoms, and on the first page of results was a page all about adverse reactions people's dogs had had to tick treatments. I found quite a few people who listed the exact same symptoms my dog had for Frontline - except they got a lot worse, including seizures, tumors, and sometimes death. So I immediately washed the Frontline off my dog, and she already feels better.

But there are still ticks out there, and I'd like her to have *some* blood left in her body by the end of summer. So what's a country girl to do?

Green Living says Rose Geranium oil is the best natural tick repellent there is. Dilute it in a carrier oil - 2 tbs nut or vegetable oil per 10-25 drops essential oil - and put 2 drops on the dog's collar.

The site where I found the info about Frontline also has a post (about 2/3 of the way down, if you're interested) that says that apple cider vinegar in their water (1 tsp/gallon) makes them taste bad to ticks.

My aunt once told me about garlic pills, and a couple of sites confirmed it, but who wants to get their face licked by a dog with garlic breath? I think I'm just going to stick with the Rose Geranium oil.