Footballs and giant balls a dog can actually play with
A real football lasts about one bite: the bladder punctures and the panels peel. A football for dogs is either a solid or foam-cored ball with a grippy textured cover the dog can pick up, like the Happy Pet Grubber Football, a mini version for small dogs and puppies, or a giant inflatable the dog shoves with its nose and shoulders. Pick by what your dog does with a ball.
Why a real football does not last
A football is built for feet, not teeth. The panels are stitched over a thin bladder, and one canine tooth through a panel punctures it. Once flat the panels peel back, and a dog that was chasing it starts pulling it apart, which is where swallowed strips of cover come from.
A dog football removes the bladder: solid, foam-cored, or a heavy inflatable with a cover tough enough to take a mouth, textured so the dog can grip it. Which you want depends on what the dog does with a ball, not its size.
Grippy footballs for dogs that carry and drop
If your dog runs to the ball, picks it up and drops it at your feet, you want a grippy, textured cover. The Happy Pet Grubber Football has raised nubs a mouth can hold; the Actionball Football and the Dog & Co Mega Pickup Football do the same job with a softer shell a big dog can grip without splitting.
A smooth, hard ball rolls away from a dog's mouth; a textured one is caught first time. These get chewed on the walk back, so check them over rather than leaving one out overnight with a strong chewer.
Rugby balls for dogs that chase and pounce
A rugby ball bounces unpredictably, and for a dog that lives to chase and pounce that is the whole appeal. It skids, pops up and rolls in a curve, so a Collie or Spaniel hunts it far longer than a ball that rolls straight. The Happy Pet Grubber Rugby Ball has the same nubbed cover, so it can be picked up once caught.
Throw it end over end on grass rather than a hard path; the bounce that makes it fun on a lawn sends it into the road off tarmac. It also suits two dogs, with an end for each.
Mini footballs for small dogs and puppies
A full-size dog football is too much for a Jack Russell or a twelve-week-old Labrador to get a mouth round, and a ball a dog cannot pick up is one it ignores. The Happy Pet Mini Football and Mini Rugby Ball are the same textured designs scaled down, so a small dog gets the grip without the weight.
For a puppy, buy the mini now and move up when the adult mouth arrives; a Labrador puppy outgrows it within months, a Cavalier keeps it for life. Never give the mini to a big dog: the ball must be bigger than the gap behind the back teeth.
Giant herding balls for dogs that run it round the garden
Collies, Shepherds, Kelpies and the herding types would rather drive something round the garden with nose and shoulders than carry it, and a ball they cannot pick up is exactly right. The Inflatable Herding Ball for Dogs comes in 25, 45 and 55cm; the Herding Ball with Handles and Pump for Dogs adds handles to grab and fling, with a pump in the box.
Size it so the dog cannot get its jaws over the top: 25cm for a small terrier, 45cm for a Collie or Labrador, 55cm for a big Shepherd. Inflate it firm; a soft ball dents, and dents give teeth something to bite.
Garden, park or beach, and whether it floats
A grippy football is a park and garden toy. On the beach, sand works into the cover and is swallowed with every fetch, and a ball that deflates on the sand has its cover torn off and swallowed. Keep giant balls to grass too; gravel and stones scuff and eventually puncture even a tough cover.
Do not assume a dog football floats. Solid and foam-cored balls vary, and a giant inflatable floats but drifts on any wind and a swimming dog cannot control it. Unless the product says it floats, treat it as a land toy.
Pumps, re-inflating and supervision
Every giant ball loses a little air over the weeks, so keep the pump with the ball rather than in a drawer; some herding balls below include one, and a standard needle-valve ball pump does for the rest. Push the valve fully home, because a valve sitting proud is the first thing a dog finds.
All of these are supervised toys. A shredded panel is a swallowed panel, and a dog that has worked a flap loose will finish the job the moment you go inside. Retire a ball once the cover is torn through, and if your dog swallows any part of one, ring the vet.
What we stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Inflatable Herding Ball for Dogs with Pump
A large inflatable herding ball with pump that taps into your dog's chase instinct.
From£19.99
Inflatable Herding Ball with Handles for Dogs
A large, tough inflatable herding ball that taps into your dog's natural chase-and-nudge instinct. Reinforced bite-resistant fabric and grab handles make it great for active outdoor play with medium and large breeds.
£29.99
Inflatable Herding Ball for Dogs
A large inflatable ball too big for a dog to pick up, with a bite-resistant double-layer shell that slow-deflates if punctured, for high-drive chasing and nudging.
£23.99
Herding Ball for Dogs — 45cm Tough Oxford Cover
A 45cm herding ball with a tough Oxford cover over a separate inner bladder, with a foot pump in the box.
£29.99
Actionball Football
A tough, tuggable dog football with rope handles on each side for extra play
From£12.99
Inflatable Herding Ball for Dogs — 25, 45 & 55cm
An inflatable herding ball in two prints and three sizes, with webbing handles and a concealed zip.
From£15.99
Herding Ball with Handles & Pump for Dogs
A herding ball in three sizes with webbing handles sewn round it, a tough outer shell over an inflatable bladder, and a pump in the box.
From£19.99
Happy Pet Grubber Rugby Ball
A durable rubber rugby ball toy for dogs, for fetch and gum-massaging chew play
£20.99
Dog & Co Mega Pickup Football
A size 3 football dog toy with a webbing handle for tug and toss play
£16.99
Happy Pet Grubber Football
A durable rubber football that bounces well for fetch and helps clean teeth
£20.99
Common questions
- Can dogs play with a normal football?
- Only for a kickabout where the dog chases and does not bite it. One tooth punctures the bladder, the ball goes flat and the panels peel off and get swallowed. A dog football has no bladder and a cover made to be gripped.
- What size football should I get for my dog?
- Bigger than the gap behind the dog's back teeth, but small enough to carry if your dog likes carrying. Small dogs and puppies want the mini sizes, a Labrador the full-size grippy football, and a herding breed that pushes wants a giant ball.
- Do dog footballs float?
- Some do and some do not, and the product name or description is the only reliable guide. A giant inflatable floats but drifts on the wind, and a swimming dog cannot control it. Unless floating is stated, treat any ball here as a land toy.
- How do I inflate a giant herding ball?
- With a standard ball pump and needle valve, or the pump included with some balls here. Inflate until firm so teeth cannot dent it, push the valve fully home, and top it up every few weeks.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.