Ticks or skin tags on dogs often look the same. One quick way to tell the difference is that a skin tag will usually be the color of your dogs skin. On the other hand, a tick is often reddish or brownish in color and will have legs. If you have a magnifying glass or a phone that can zoom in you can quickly tell if the bump is a tick due to the legs and body sticking out of your dog. In addition, ticks may be multiple colors. Skin tags won’t have a leg or body and they won’t be moving around.