We bought three different exercise balls, a budget one from Walmart and two more expensive balls that advertised themselves as “anti-burst. Herding balls are used in the sport Treibball (pronounced tri ball), where dogs herd large balls into a pen.

It’s essentially a perfectly round version of our top pick, the Push-n-Play, without the raised lettering and plug. Purchased a bag and now being used by mine and friends dogs on a daily basis… The gang of ten ranging from a chihuahua, kelpie, Staffies, German shepherds and everything in between. I was not expecting the ball to be so solid – it doesn’t have the same give as a regulation soccer ball. Perhaps they love nothing more than cuddling up with a soft and squashy plush animal - or maybe a rubber squeaky toy sends them into a frenzy of excitement! My collie who is renowned for breaking balls / toys broke one within a week and unfortunately swallowed some plastic from the ball.And punctured subsequent balls within the same time frame… have now refused to let him have any more unless having training session . Because your dog can’t carry this ball in his mouth, he will need your help to get it if the ball falls into water, such as your swimming pool. Instead, it gives your pup an appropriate outlet to exercise his natural instincts – kind of like letting your teenager participate in boxing or MMA.

As the name suggests, a herding ball is a ball that is too big, heavy or difficult to be picked up and carried by your dog. It was a long journey, but we eventually narrowed down the competition to 3 winners, each great in their own way. We lost one exercise ball when it scraped along a branch, and another got a splinter from our fence and slowly deflated. To play with it, your tiny pup needs to push, roll and chase the ball around – just like a herding ball.Items advertised as indestructible are actually made of cheap materials and are not fit for purpose. Because it’s so large, the few dogs that could carry the ball around chewed it with their incisors and canines – the sharp pointy teeth at the front of your dog’s mouth. All in all I would recommend these and will certainly use this seller again when I need to replace the balls.

The nubs on the surface of the ball not only make it easy to grip, but also gently massage your dog’s gums. A herding ball is immediately available for your dog to push and chase, helping your pup burn off some of that excess energy – even when you are away at work. It’s great if you are snowed in and can’t take your dog outside for a kickaround – set up a game of living-room soccer instead!But if your dog aggressively pushes the ball with his teeth, bites into it, or scratches it with his paws, the surface will become rough and irregular. However, Boomer Ball makes the largest plastic herding balls available, and these don’t feature the same motifs. The appropriately named Virtually Indestructible Ball was another herding ball that was very similar to the Push-n-Play.

Once your game of soccer has come to an end, remove the soccer ball and give your dog something a little more heavy duty to play with, like a good chew toy!

I’ll add that traditional-sized dog soccer balls, which are around 8 inches, are best suited for medium to large breeds. They would run alongside the ball with an open mouth, attempting to bite, push or grip the ball with their teeth. the dog loves the squeaky balls, its just a pitty that my dog is a X jack rusttle and patterdale which makes the ball look like a beach ball in his mouth. I feel confident it’s a ball I can leave out when I’m not home and it will still be intact when I get home. If your yard is a minefield of sharp objects, use this as an indoor toy instead, as long as you have the room to spare.