I use chuckit balls for fetch. I don't allow them to be
chewed.

 

Are the chuckit balls light enough for the dog to catch mid-air (like a tennis ball)? Some of the rubber balls that I have bought are too heavy (like a lacrosse ball) and I worry they will knock out her teeth or give her a black eye...

 

For fetch mine like planet dog/orbee Diamond plate balls
Orbee-Tuff Diamond Plate Ball

Mine also like soccer and basketballs, though they're usually flattened pretty quick. Tuke my female has some fancy foot work. She will actually alternate kicking it along with both feet and will rear up to stomp it with both feet to make it spin off wildly, pretty entertaining to watch.

 

People tell me tennis balls are bad for their teeth.

 

For training and incorporated play I use two of these. Gappay Ball on String - Medium This is outside in the training field and if we're just playing 2 ball.


Inside it's a Chuck It ball rubber about the size of a baseball. He also plays with a ring about a 1/3 of a size of a standard Frisbee. He also has a couple Kongs for play both inside and out.

 

The large kong tennis ball, tee balls (baseball but not as hard), and whatever else the kids are tossing, kicking, or bouncing. We'll take the tee balls away as he gets bigger and they become a choking hazard.

 

This sort RedLine K9 EURO ball was Finn's favorite, but he would play with any sort of ball. He was very possessive of toys, something I think I inadvertently encouraged because I'd never dealt with it before. So I tended to play a lot of two ball to reduce the conflict of having to give up his favorite thing. I'd also toss his ball into the pine trees bordering the yard or out in a back field I'd throw it into the tall weeds and let him hunt for it. He loved to take one off and just chew on it a bit and they held up really well. I buried him with the two he played with since it only seemed fair he got to keep them in the end.

 

Shadow and I play fetch with a Frisbee, she isn't as fond of balls. We play some warped combo of soccer/hockey with an old basketball, lol. We also play some weird version of tag that she absolutely loves, no toys involved.
Bud absolutely loved his Kong ball, Shadow wouldn't touch it. To heavy for her. She loves the Chuckit balls, but probably not as much as the football that she flattened years ago.

 

Tennis balls are not only bad for the teeth, they are also a choking hazard for large dogs! I would NEVER let my dogs play with one...never mind that the ball would be toast by the end of the play session!

The balls I use are Chuck It balls with a hole through the middle. I put a string through the hole to turn it into a tug toy. It will also help save my dog's life if it should ever accidentally swallow the ball. The balls are hard rubber, but have enough give to them that they won't damage teeth. They are a little softer than a Kong.

Please, please be aware that balls can be a choking hazard if they are small. If your dog swallows one, it will be dead by the time you get it to the vet. This article tells you how to save your dog's life if this should happen:

https://bottomlineinc.com/life/pets/choking-danger-for-dogs-toy-balls

Another way of dislodging the ball is to press on the underside of the dog's jaw. You should be able to feel where the ball is, and push it towards the mouth.

Here's an article from A.K.C. that talks about the dangers of tennis balls. Not only are they a choking hazard, but both the fluff and pieces chewed off the ball can cause intestinal obstruction. http://www.akc.org/content/health/articles/are-tennis-balls-safe-for-dogs/

 

Please, please be aware that balls can be a choking hazard if they are small. If your dog swallows one, it will be dead by the time you get it to the vet. This article tells you how to save your dog's life if this should happen:

https://bottomlineinc.com/life/pets/choking-danger-for-dogs-toy-balls

Here's an article from A.K.C. that talks about the dangers of tennis balls. Not only are they a choking hazard, but both the fluff and pieces chewed off the ball can cause intestinal obstruction.

My family's retriever got a chunk of rawhide bone stuck in her throat. Dad did the Heimlich and she coughed it up

As for tennis ball fluff and pieces, they're not chew toys. I will use them for fetch, and that's it. They go away if not playing fetch

 

I have several balls on rope that I use for training, solid rubber, heavy and would not be good if the dog missed a catch and caught it on her nose. I don't throw these.

What I'm looking for is a replacement for tennis balls which she loves to chase and catch mid-air. Tennis balls would be perfect except they get really dirty and are bad for her teeth...

 

Tennis balls are the number 1 choke hazard, so I'd say no. 3" like these:
https://www.chewy.com/planet-dog-orbee-tuff-diamond-plate/dp/53174
Elite Working Balls - No plastic handle-Elite K-9
With some dogs though, you have to be careful how you throw a ball for them, no matter what size it is. I have some on a rope that are probably a little smaller then a tennis ball. I never let him "catch" it in mid air unless I have a hold of the rope. I'm careful how he retrieves them too. I probably get a little careless once in a while and just throw it because of the rope, but I try to throw it so that it won't bounce high and he has to pick it up rather then catch it in the air.

 

Check out the Orbee/planet dog "Diamond" plate balls at 3". My dogs like to catch them mid air and such, never an issue. They're only a little heavier than a tennis ball and "squish" pretty easy, they also stay soft in cold weather. They don't bounce wildly or high which I like as it's less likely my dogs will become injured chasing after them. We also have chuck-it balls and they'll do in a pinch, but all my dogs prefer the orbee. If you decide to check them out I would stay away from the ones with the continents, my dogs pull them off.

 

These are popular with both of my dogs. They come in a number of different sizes and last quite a while, even when tugged.

These are popular with mine as well.

 

Eye opening thread. My nearly 6 month old GSD LOVES fetch. He will ignore all the barking dogs in the world to play fetch at the park. Off leash, anywhere I never have the leash bit of worry.

Typically, we use a kong tennis type ball and the ball thrower so I can get some extra yards on it. We lost a recent kong and have been using a tennis ball not thinking twice about it.

So it seems the verdict is no-go on tennis balls. It seems mixed on the Kong’s? They seem a similar size though?

Any other suggestions of something else I can throw far? I have a hard time imagining my pup swallowing a tennis sized ball, but maybe it’s cause he’s still a puppy.

Hmmm.. hope if I really need to switch I can find something as enthusiastic for him.


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Hans (GSD) couldn't care less about playing with balls. I guess Kong Wubba will always be his favorite, although if one's not available he does have a squeaky football he likes.

Tig (Mal puppy)--it seems his latest obsession is a Multipet International light up ball. It's 3" and has a knobby texture that he apparently loves. He wants to carry it EVERYWHERE, lol.
I don't leave it with him at crate time because the way it's constructed could be a hazard if he manages to chew the outer layer off. But he is allowed to carry it all of the time. If he doesn't have it, he walks over to the shelf it's on and stares at it and then at me.

 

I never release my dog before the ball lies still and hidden. I know if she would try to catch it in mid air, she would easily hurt herself due to her drive. My non-savvy-dog-training hubby did that once and I was horrified how she caught that ball. The reason why it has to be hidden before release is to prevent her from breaking her toes or more when she comes to a stop from running at full speed when she sees the ball.
It requires 100% impulse control. When I throw it in the wrong spot, she has to stay put or heel so I can safely get it. She runs as the crow flies and can absolutely kill herself over obstacles that way. However, not when I throw it over an obstacle right in front of us and close by. I will never let anyone else 'play' fetch with her because of this, hubby included.
I wonder how this work with other pretty intense dogs.

 

How does your dog play with other dogs? My dog is constantly chasing running, stopping full speed, etc when playing with other dogs.

As for the bouncing ball, is it that much different than all the moving around with a flirt pole?

My pup has a crazy drive for the ball, but it’s really not that much different than how he plays with other dogs. Can’t imagine people saying that dogs shouldn’t run around with other dogs due to “potential injury”?

The only exception could be dogs disregarding obstacles and stopping at nothing to get the ball. However, I always play fetch in an open field so there’s nothing to worry about in that aspect.


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My dog loves em all. My personal favorites are the kongs on a rope and other rubber balls like the ones I got from herm sprenger. I got the 2 1/4" one by accident and it's tiny so stick with the 3" size. I prefer the rubbers ones because I can rinse them off and put em away. The chuck it is cool for really open areas and it bounces good. There was a question above about if they can catch them like a tennis ball and the answer is yes. They bounce better than tennis balls too. I mix in throwing the ball across the yard with bouncing it in the air for him to leap up and catch (after a warm up and stretch of course!)

 

That first picture looks scary to me. Looks like he can choke on that size. It will be hard to dislodge it when it gets stuck and you don't have much time to get it out safely.
I may be overly cautious or call it paranoid but these high drive dogs are injury prone.

 

Hollee Roller Extremes were my angel boy Jaden's favorite. They held up super with his heavy chewing and playing tug with them. Have given the new puppy one of his old ones (still have some new ones when on sale at Amazon around Christmas). They are super safe.

 

I always had used the regular tennis ball sized balls for my girl. She's mid to high 60s in size. Seemed appropriate for her. And she never would catch them with her nose straight up in the air.

My old male loved to pack as many balls into his mouth as possible, I think 3 was his limit...and I also think i was stupid for letting him do that because he could have choked on one.

My current male is the biggest dog I have had and his mouth and throat are appropriately proportionate. I mean putting a pill in his throat compared to putting a pill down my girl's throat is so different, it's a big gullet! The smallest ball he is allowed to play with is the large Chuckit balls. He has an XL too but he likes the large better. It looks big enough that he could not easily swallow it.

A few times he has got hold of an old ball that is too small for him---the tennis ball sized ones that I always used before. It looks like a cat toy in his mouth! I take them immediately away from him, it's scary how small they are compared to his big mouth.

 

I've got a bunch of the 3" Orbee Balls and an assortment of these, in large and medium:
Dog Training Balls - Euro Ball With Rope Handle | All K-9

I put a couple knots in the rope so he doesn't step on/into it when he's running with it. Its probably not perfect, but I try not to have it bounce or hang in the air like that, not just for the choking, but so he isn't twisting awkwardly jumping like that.

 

My last GSD found one of my old bowling balls in a closet while we were shopping. He managed to knock a couple holes in the wall chasing it around the family room. He had very deep claw marks in it as well as teeth marks. I thought it would be a good play thing in the big back yard. I knew he was a big strong guy but to see him work his mouth and teeth around on the holes then pick it up and run with it surprised me. He growled and barked at it and bashed it around like his worst enemy. I finally had to take it away as I was worried that he might break a tooth. I thought about having the holes plugged but he just got too carried away with this toy. It was too dangerous.

He really wasn't a house dog but we had to keep him inside when the weather was bad. He would sniff out the closet where he first found the bowling ball He eventually found my new ones in our bedroom and chewed the bag up before I caught him. He chewed right through the nylon straps and ripped the nylon bag to pieces. I got him before he got the two balls loose but the bag was history along with near new shoes.

You can't get mad at the dog and smack him with rolled up newspaper, you have to smack yourself for leaving things around to get into. A clear case of not being three steps ahead of your dog's mind.

Byron

 

My favorite ball is the extra large chuck it with the whole in the middle - it is glow n the dark but super soft and flexible. Max teeth seemed to have become worn down on the big soft jolly ball he played with is why is liked this ball best. For the beach I use the chuck it bumper. If I use a ball at the beach it has to be soft larger and no hole if the middle as it can trap sea water. He loves this green ball in the first photo it just is to expensive and he ruins it fast.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C...eywords=chuck+it+glow+in+the+dark+ball+large&dpPl=1&dpID=51dZ4tiIQFL&ref=plSrch

 

The Chuck it kick ball. Great for soccer and tug(dog advantage). Jolly ball on a rope can launch. Kong on a rope will really launch. Cloth type frisbee great for launch, catch and tug. I like the frisbee for a "wait" I back up toss, good catch, bring back tug, with the cloth style, hard plastic not so much fun.

 

Bentwings, laughing at your bowling ball story! I had a 10 lb. dumb bell with a plastic cover. One of my GSDs liked to pick it up and carry it around in her mouth! I had to hide it from her because I was afraid she'd damage something when she let it drop!

 

Whole Dog Journal just published a pretty interesting review of the best balls they could find for dogs. I think it was issue before last. Planet Dog's Orbee-Tuff took two of the top-rated spots (Orbee Squeak and Orbee Recycle).

Kong's Squeak was #3 or #4, but it's not a ball for intense chewers with squeak obsessions. It's made of thick jelly-like material, and doesn't squeak in a traditional way. That's incredibly satisfying to the dogs -- they all loved to just hold it and squeak it, and when one dog set it down, another would swoop in to get it. It was like chewing gum--squish, squish, squish. However, it contains a seam in the middle that separated in 3 days in my house, and then it got caught on the bottom jaw of a dog and had to be cut off. Not a fan after seeing that happen.

The Orbee products are my Xmas list to try out for the dogs, along with a new Cuz for the blind dog who's obsessed with the mouth-feel of that stupid ball with feet.

 

I've tried a number of the Orbee balls. Some of them with the smooth outer surface come apart at the seem with serious chewers. The diamond plate ones have held up the best for us so far though not indestructible and the textured surface is easier for me to handle once it's thoroughly coated in dog spit.

We have a couple of the "world balls" that once the continents were removed the ball itself has survived much abuse. It's too bad the continents are glued on. Once I noticed my dogs pulling at the pieces I removed them all, still it's not a problem I want to deal with.

 

The feet never lasted in my house!

This is what a cuz looks like just before I have to throw it out. You can see Star has been working on the squeaker hole, and will soon be tearing off big chunks of rubber and swallowing them... :rolleyes2: