Chuckit! Kick Fetch Ball Dog Toy, Large, 8in, for Large Dogs, Floats

Why it's worth it

The Kick Fetch is an 8-inch ball wrapped in rugged canvas over rubber and foam, with molded grooves so a dog can pick it up. You kick or punt it instead of throwing. Shepherds, collies and other herding dogs tend to lose their minds over it.

Some dogs don't want to retrieve. They want to chase something big and push it around, which is exactly what a herding brain is wired for. A regular ball is too small for that game and a soccer ball gets punctured in one bite. The Kick Fetch splits the difference — it's soccer-ball sized but built to be carried in a mouth.

The bite zones are the design that makes it work. Deep grooves are molded into the surface so a dog can actually get teeth around an 8-inch sphere and haul it back to you. Owners of German shepherds and pit bulls describe dogs carrying it around the yard without deflating it, which is not something a real soccer ball survives.

From our review of 8 chuckit! dog toys

What we like

• +Some dogs don't want to retrieve
• +The bite zones are the design that makes it work
• +Because you kick rather than throw, it's easier on your shoulder than a launcher session
• +The canvas shell is why we call it the upgrade rather than just another ball

What to know

• –It's the most expensive toy here and it still isn't a chew toy
• –Eight inches is genuinely large