Best dog fetching toys for throwing and retrieving

Sometimes you just can't beat the simplicity of throwing a ball for your dog to retrieve, and we think this duo of ChuckIt! Ultra Balls are the top dog to use in a game of fetch. With over 127,000 reviews and an average star rating of 4.7 stars on Amazon, it seems like a lot of other paw-rents agree. They're made from brightly coloured durable rubber, they bounce ultra-high and they also float, so they're great for the park as well as the beach.

Customer review: "This is a top quality dog ball and worth the bit extra I paid. It’s strong so the dog can sit there chewing his favourite toy. It has a nice weight so flys a good way if you trying to give your dog a good run and its bright colour makes it easy to find. Great ball all round 👍"

Lightweight for you to throw and your dog to carry, this Pets at Home Flying Ring Dog Toy will make playtime enjoyable for both you and your pooch. When ordering this toy, you'll be sent either the red, yellow or green ring, but whichever colour you have, the ring will be easily seen as all the colours are super bright for high visibility. A great value option for just £2!

Reviewed by Product Writer, Rosie Floyd: "If you’re after a great value toy for your dog, I’d recommend this Pets At Home one. You can use it as a frisbee for fetching games and I found it’s also fairly sturdy as a tugging toy, too. With three dogs playing with them, toys don’t seem to last long in my house but considering the low cost of this one, I wouldn’t mind it not lasting as long.”

We're not actually sure who will enjoy the Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster Dog Toy more - you or your dog? It offers high-powered blasting action so it can launch a tennis ball over 50ft in the air and when your dog brings it back, you won't have to reach down to grab a slobber-covered ball as you can just simply place the barrel over it and pick it up hands-free.

Reviewed by Commercial Content Editor, Natalie Corner: "My dog cannot get enough of this ball launcher. And I can't load the ball fast enough because he brings the ball back so quickly. As a small cocker spaniel, he has endless amounts of energy so this Nerf gun brings a lot of excitement. The lever can be a little stiff and you have to remember to pull it back first before you put the ball in otherwise the mechanism doesn't work. It's simple enough once you get going and give my arms a rest!"

For the ultimate hands-free game of fetch, why not consider an automatic ball launcher, like this PetSafe Automatic Dog Toy? It may require a little training from you to get your dog to understand how it's used, but once they've got the hang of it, you'll reap the rewards. It has nine distance and six ball angle settings as well as motion sensors to detect and protect people and pets standing in front of the launch area.

Customer review: "My Border Collie loves this ball launcher. At first, she was scared of it as it is quite loud but after a few weeks, she was learning to put the ball in the machine on her own. The fact that you can set the distance and height of the ball is brilliant and the three balls included are of good quality. In order to get the dog to use the machine properly you need to train the dog to actually put the ball in the machine. This is probably the hardest part but once mastered the dog is free to play!"

We've already featured the Ultra Balls from Chuckit! on our list, but we think the Chuckit! Paraflight Max Glow Dog Toy Light Up Flying Disc also deserves a mention. This disc glows in the dark so the fun doesn't have to stop just because it's nearing nighttime, allowing it to still be seen to prevent it from getting lost. It can be used as a land or water toy and is designed for long-distance flight.

Customer review: "Brilliant product. Easy to use, and decent distance. Dog's preferred frisbee as whilst he still needs to run, there's also the mental challenge of following flight, and dependent on wind, change of direction. The drift edge means no damage to teeth, and can pick up from all surfaces without injury. Highly recommend."

Kong is always a popular choice amongst pooches and pet parents alike. This training dummy dog toy is ideal for playing with while you're doing retrieval training with your dog as it's much bigger than a ball or ring, however, it's still an appropriate size for them to bring back to you. It's lightweight, made of foam and it comes with a rope to make it easier to throw either on grass or into water.

Customer review: "Our sprocker has had one of these for several years as a toy. He adores it. It's with him when he eats, sleeps and wanders round the house and garden. We throw it down the garden and he retrieves it and he can do this for 2 hours without being bored. Best value toy we've ever had."

Your pooch is sure to get a workout when playing fetch with the Happy Pet Grubber Dog Toy. This rugby-shaped dog ball has plenty of bounce so your hound will certainly have their work cut out chasing after it. The way it's designed with handle-like grips means your dog will have no issues picking it up and the different textures are great for dental health, too.

Customer review: "It’s still in one piece, unlike a lot of toys our 2-year-old Sprocker Spaniel has demolished. We thought it was quite expensive to start with but now feel it was worth the money as it has stood up to a lot of chewing. We have bought the round ball in the same range too!"