Dog balls that survive a serious chewer
No ball is indestructible, whatever the packaging says. What you can buy is a ball built so the dog cannot get its teeth into it at all, like the Coachi Boomi Ball and the Boomer Ball, or a dense natural rubber ball that gives under the tooth and springs back rather than tearing. Which you need depends on whether your dog wants to chase a ball or chew it.
Why nothing is truly indestructible, and who this page is for
A ball fails in one of two ways: the dog gets a grip and works a piece loose, or it is so hard it cannot be gripped but cracks when hurled at a patio. Every ball here sits somewhere on that line, and the honest description is very hard to destroy, not impossible.
A ball sold as indestructible that splits in an afternoon is not just wasted money; the split piece ends up inside the dog. This page is for the dogs that go through a normal toy in an evening: Staffies and bull breeds, Labradors, Shepherds, Rottweilers and the Collies that chase anything. It is grouped by how each ball resists damage so you can match it to what your dog does; for a small dog with a soft mouth, the smaller rubber balls are plenty.
Hard balls for pushing and chasing
The first group is hard polyethylene. The Coachi Boomi Ball comes in 15cm Sky Blue, 20cm Ocean Teal and 25cm Electric Lime, and the Boomer Ball is the same idea: a rigid, thick-walled sphere with no give. Sized bigger than the dog's mouth it cannot be gripped, so the dog gives up chewing and pushes, head-butts and chases it instead.
A hard ball is for pushing and chasing, not chewing. A dog that wants to lie down and gnaw gets frustrated with one, or finds an edge to crack on concrete. Collies, Shepherds and bull breeds that love a chase take to them straight away.
Rubber balls for dogs that need to chew
Dense natural rubber does the opposite job. It gives under the tooth and springs back, so the dog gets the satisfaction of chewing without tearing a mouthful off. The Happy Pet Indestructiball comes in 9cm and 13cm, and the Near-Indestructible Natural Rubber Snack Ball takes treats inside, which slows the chewing into a calmer job of working them out.
Rubber wears eventually with a dog that chews for an hour at a stretch, which is fine as long as you check it. The Self-Moving Chew-Resistant Dog Ball rolls on its own to keep a chewer moving. If your dog only wants to chew, skip the hard balls.
Why tennis balls are the worst choice for a chewer
A tennis ball is the ball most dogs get and the worst one for a chewer. The felt is abrasive, and a dog that carries and chews one daily grinds its teeth against it, which shows as flattened canines over the years. Add beach grit and it becomes sandpaper.
The bigger problem is when it splits. A tennis ball bites into two halves, and a half ball is exactly the shape to wedge in the back of a large dog's throat, a well-documented choking hazard. Keep tennis balls for fetch with a dog that drops them.
Sizing: bigger than the mouth, every time
Any ball must be bigger than the gap behind the dog's back teeth. If the whole ball fits in the mouth, it can be pushed past the molars into the throat, and a wet rubber ball is hard to get hold of once it is there. When in doubt, go a size up.
For push balls, sizing up is doubly important because it stops the dog gripping. The 15cm Boomi suits a Cocker or Whippet, a Labrador or Shepherd wants the 20cm, and a Rottweiler or Mastiff type the 25cm. For rubber, the 9cm Indestructiball is for small and medium dogs and the 13cm for Labrador-sized and up. Buy for the adult mouth.
Supervision, rope combos and when to retire a ball
Any ball a dog chews is a supervised toy. The only ball most dogs can be left with is a correctly sized hard one in a garden with no sharp edges; rubber balls, treat balls and anything with rope go away when you leave the room.
The Dog Chew Ball with Rope Tug and the Interactive Dog Chew Ball on Braided Rope are tug toys, not solo chews: the ball is tough, but rope frays if a dog is left with it and swallowed strands are serious. The 45cm Herding Ball with its Tough Oxford Cover is a covered inflatable for chasing and shoving, never chewing. Retire any ball once a fingernail-sized piece comes off, or a hard ball cracks, and ring the vet if a piece is swallowed.
What we stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Self-Moving Chew-Resistant Dog Ball
A USB-C rechargeable ball that moves on its own to keep dogs busy and active. Tough E-TPU construction stands up to chewing during supervised play, and the splash-resistant build suits indoor or outdoor use.
£15.99
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
Coachi Boomi Ball Ocean Teal 8"/20cm
A hard, non-chewable 8-inch (20cm) Boomi Ball for push-and-chase play, sized for Retrievers, Boxers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers
£19.99
Near-Indestructible Natural Rubber Snack Ball
A vanilla-scented, treat-stuffable rubber ball made with recycled natural rubber — tough, safe, and eco-friendly.
From£14.99
Coachi Boomi Ball Electric Lime 10"/25cm
A hard, non-chewable 10-inch (25cm) Boomi Ball for push-and-chase play, sized for German Shepherds, Rottweilers and Dobermanns
£29.99
Happy Pet Indestructiball
An extremely tough non-toxic plastic ball in 9cm and 13cm, built to withstand determined chewers
From£9.99
Interactive Dog Chew Ball on Braided Rope
A textured chew ball on a braided rope for fetch, tug and a satisfying gnaw.
£11.99
Dog Chew Ball with Rope Tug
A rubber chew ball on a braided rope for chewing, tugging and games of fetch.
£9.99
Coachi Boomi Ball Sky Blue 6"/15cm
A hard, non-chewable 6-inch (15cm) Boomi Ball for push-and-chase play, sized for Border Collies, Cocker Spaniels and French Bulldogs
£12.99
Common questions
- Is any dog ball actually indestructible?
- No. Every ball can be damaged by a big enough dog with enough time, and packaging that says otherwise is overselling. The closest thing is a hard polyethylene ball sized so the dog cannot get its teeth into it, which it pushes and chases instead.
- What size indestructible ball should I buy?
- Bigger than the dog's open mouth, so it cannot be pushed past the molars. For push balls that also stops the dog getting a grip: roughly 15cm for spaniel-sized dogs, 20cm for Labradors and Shepherds, 25cm for the biggest. Rubber: 9cm for small and medium dogs, 13cm for large.
- Are tennis balls bad for dogs?
- For a dog that chews or carries them constantly, yes. The felt wears teeth down over time, and a tennis ball that splits into halves is a known choking hazard for large dogs. For fetch with a dog that drops the ball they are fine.
- Can I leave my dog alone with a hard ball?
- A correctly sized hard ball with no cracks, in a space with no sharp edges, is about the only ball most dogs can be trusted with unsupervised. Anything rubber, anything with rope and any treat ball is a supervised toy.
Related
Sources
Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
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.