Let’s discuss dog toys that won’t leach nasty chemicals when in use.
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly, non-toxic ball for your dog, my advice is to go check your dryer. No, seriously, one of the best toys for your ball obsessed pup may well be what you already use to keep your towels fluffy: a simple wool dryer ball.
Wool dryer balls are not only a great way to ditch those toxic dryer sheets, they’re also great for indoor fetch. Wool dryer balls:
- Bounce a bit (but not too much)
- Are much quieter than tennis balls
- Are less likely to cause damage to furniture
- Are gentler on dogs’ mouths (great for seniors and puppies)
- Help keep teeth clean
- Won’t crack
- Can be used outside, ideally in dry weather
- Are machine washable and can go in the dryer!
- Float, at least long enough to be rescued.
Dryer balls are also quite durable. If wool fibers start to lift, use water to make the ball damp and pat the fibers back into place, then leave the ball to dry.
If you still want a branded toy for your dog, check out our list below.
Our top picks
Curious about how we rate products? Click here to view our methodology, which at its core, is about voting with our dollars to fight climate change.
Beco Ball
Highlights: Durable ball and treat dispenser made with natural rubber by a sustainable company. Great bounce!
- Made of natural rubber
- Non-toxic
- Available in three colors
- Whistles when it flies!
- Hole for dispensing treats
- Strong and durable
- Made by a sustainable company
- Launcher compatible
- Not entirely spherical, so don’t be surprised by erratic bounces!
Beco Pets natural rubber dog ball holds up well to enthusiastic chewers and is made with natural and biodegradable materials. This ball howls and whistles when thrown, making it fun for your pup. It also made it easier for my older pup to find even when dawn and dusk light was dim.
Beco Balls have a slightly wonky shape, meaning they bounce in a fun and erratic way. This definitely kept my pup interested, so I’d switch out the Beco ball for rounder ones to extend our park sessions and really tire her out.
If you’re using it at home, the Beco ball is also great for dispensing treats. Make it more of a challenge by stuffing fabric scraps in there that your pup has to extract to get to treats. My dog loved this game!
The Beco Ball also floats quite well and is launcher compatible.
HEVEA Enrichment and Fetch Dog Toy
Highlights: Fun interactive ball for treat challenges and fetch. Made with natural rubber.
- 100% natural upcycled rubber
- Vegan certified
- Free of plastic, silicone, petroleum, heavy metals, PVC, and phthalates
- FDA approved food-grade color pigments
- Flexible – stretch it to fill with socks and treats!
- Has a fun bounce!
- Soft on teeth and gums
- Robust and durable
- Easy for dogs to pick up and carry
- Compostable at end of life
- A little hard to clean, especially if you use wet treats
At 4.5-inches across, the HEVEA ball is a great choice for pups who like a challenge. Use it as a regular ball outside or inside, or stretch and stuff it with fabric scraps and treats for hours of entertainment for your pup.
This ball is totally natural and non-toxic, from a company that only makes sustainable products from natural rubber.
Beco Pets Hemp Ball and Loop Toy
- Made from recycled cotton and hemp
- Tough fibers that help clean your pup’s teeth
- Great for rolling, throwing, and tug of war
- Durable
- Fully biodegradable/compostable at end of life
- Totally non-toxic
- Beco Pets is PETA Approved vegan and a charitable company
- Ships plastic-free in recycled and recyclable materials
- Wet hemp smells terrible (at least to me; clearly not to my pup)
- Made in China (at certified factories though)
Made with sustainably grown hemp and recycled cotton, this rope and ball combo is a lovely choice for dogs that like to fetch, chew, and tug.
One downside is that it’s heavy, especially when wet. As such, it’s not as portable or easy for small pups or their humans to carry. It also quickly develops a hempy wet smell, especially if your dog likes to chew on it for hours at a time.
Beco Pets also offers a hemp ball toy without the rope (view on Earth Hero).
Awoo Felt Dog Ball Trio
- Pack of three – very affordable!
- Available in large and small sizes
- Handmade in Nepal
- 100% natural wool with RWS and GoodWeave certification
- Free of azo dyes.
- Don’t squeak or crack
- Soft on dogs’ mouths
- Easy to fix if wool comes loose
- Less likely to damage your furniture if used indoors
- Don’t bounce as much as rubber or plastic balls
- Pick up dirt and hair easily
Awoo is the bees knees for felt/wool dog ball toys. These cute, robust balls are perfect for indoor fetch and can even handle some outdoor play in dry conditions. Awoo offers two sizes, with the smallest around the size of a tennis ball. The larger size is best for larger breed dogs. If you’re looking for toys for a smaller pup, consider the TennisWools below.
Awoo is a great company for eco-friendly, non-toxic pet gear. It offers products made with natural and recycled synthetics and has safety and happiness top of mind when creating fun toys for your pup (and cat).
You can even earn credit for returning used Awoo products for the company to repurpose (or rePawpurse as Awoo calls it).
Awoo also makes one of our favorite chew toys for pups!
Twin Critters TennisWools
Highlights: Small balls made of 100 percent natural merino wool. Free of toxic azo dyes. Suitable for cats and small dogs.
- Handmade in Nepal
- 100% natural merino wool
- Free of azo dyes.
- Don’t squeak or crack
- Soft on dogs’ mouths
- Machine washable!
- Easy to fix if wool comes loose
- Less likely to damage your furniture if used indoors
- Too small (unsafe) for medium to large dogs
- Often unavailable/sold out
- Don’t bounce as much as rubber or plastic balls
- Pick up dirt and hair easily
These colored TennisWools are available in a pack of three and look like small tennis balls (they’re golf ball sized). Twin Critters is a company founded by twin brothers, one a doctor of endocrinology and one a veterinarian – not too shoddy as far as credentials go for making safe, non-toxic dog toys.
There are plenty of other dog balls around that are made with wool, but these are almost certainly dyed with chemical dyes and are mostly made in China or other countries where safety standards aren’t great. As such, I’d encourage you to get the Awoo balls or TennisWools for your canine companion.
Chuckit! Rebounce Ball
Highlights: Bouncy ball made of recycled natural rubber (we think). Whistles and bounces erratically to keep pup’s entertained.
- Now made with recycled natural rubber (uncertified)
- Very bouncy, with an erratic bounce
- Very firm, so good for launchers
- Whistles when it flies
- Not as durable as I’d like – my moderate chewer trashed it after a few weeks
- Sinks pretty fast
- Color is hard to see in water
- Chuckit! isn’t very transparent about materials and sustainability
Rebounce Balls offer the same bounce, firmness, and fun as their regular balls but are a little more eco-friendly. They’re also compatible with the Chuckit! Launcher. Be warned, though, that these have two holes in them, which means they whistle when thrown and tend to sink rather than float.
Chuckit! claims its toys are made with natural rubber but offers no certification as proof. There’s also no real information about the company, other than that it’s been making dog toys since the 1990s and now belongs to parent company Petmate.
Final Thoughts
As well as loving flying toys, my pup is ball obsessed, so we’ve gone through quite a few over the years. Now she’s a bit older, her ball fetching days are done, and even before she started winding down, I didn’t buy a new ball for quite a while. Why? Because my pup has a knack for finding balls in the wild, pointing insistently at rocks and shrubbery until I ventured in to find the hidden treasure.
If you’re game, I’d say the most eco-friendly dog ball is the one you already own or that your pup finds at the beach or park.
I should also note that Coyuchi (one of my favorite ethical brands at Leaf Score, mostly for duvets and pillows) offer a set of three felted wool dryer balls that surprisingly make for a good option as dog toys (ideally indoors). And, if your dog doesn’t love them, you have new dryer balls to keep your clothes in good shape.
And if you’re creative, you could even try felting your own dog ball using old socks or sweaters!
OH MY DOG!!! Somebody else in this world has actually cared to recognise that our pets are frequently exposed to toxins in pet toys and other products?! WOW!! Thank you, Leigh.
Great article, and I like that you also care about our environment.
I’ve been looking for non-toxic balls for my dog for years and gave up because there simply was no such thing. There were apparently non-toxic stick toys and ropes but no balls.
My dog is obsessed with balls, so I kind of feel torn between giving him the fun he deserves but also wanting to keep him healthy and alive for as long as possible. Compromising his health with any toxic toys, pet food etc. just doesn’t seem possible once I know what’s in it. It’s really hard though. He keeps finding or stealing balls from others and sometimes people just give him a ball, well-meaningly but not having any clue of the risks.
My dog is a chewer and destroys most balls within seconds or minutes. The tough ones can last a few days or so. The one that lasted the longest was a strong softball (of the game) that he found, however, he lost it in the sea… And, of course, it wasn’t toxin-free either, I’m aware of that.
I wish there was a company that actually cared about our animals and nature and produced toxinfree, good quality products that last.
Thanks again, Leigh, for this article and for being a caring human being!!
Hi Lika,
Thanks for the comment! I totally sympathise with the struggle to find safe, eco-friendly dog toys! And when you do finally find something that works… it gets eaten by the ocean!
Here’s hoping more companies start making safe and sustainable dog toys in the future. In the meantime, we’ll just all keep doing our best to keep the pups safe (and entertained!).
Leigh
hi guys. My cockapoo is obsessed with balls.. but unfortunately recently has been getting more and more seizures. He’s been to the vets and bloods seem clear. I’m quite sure the frequency is increased with toxins on the lawns, I washed the floors the other day with stuff that’s said safe for pets but had another two then and now I’m thinking is it his balls. I’ve just sniffed one and they smell really bad. Very toxic, strong and “rubbery”. Just checked most are Chuck it brand. Any thoughts?