Best Durable Toys for Australian Shepherds: Kai’s Tough Toys

Kai’s tough toys are a Jolly Push-n-Play, a QDAN herding soccer ball and a KONG Classic. Two are balls built for herding games and one is a natural rubber toy you can stuff. All three are Kai-tested. Kai is my red merle Aussie, born July 2024 and 48 lb.

If you want everything Kai uses, it’s all in the Owner’s Kit. This page is just the tough toys.

Kai’s three tough toys

Here’s the short version before the details. Each one is built for a different job.

• Jolly Push-n-Play, 14 inch. A hard plastic ball for pushing and herding. At this size it’s meant to roll along the ground, not to be carried or thrown.
• QDAN herding soccer ball. A ball with grab straps. The straps let a dog carry it and keep the game going without someone throwing all the time.
• KONG Classic. A hollow toy in red natural rubber. KONG says it’s ideal for stuffing and freezing.

If you only buy one, buy for the game your dog plays most. A dog who pushes and herds is the Jolly’s audience. A dog who wants to grab and drag is the QDAN’s. A dog who wants something to work at with food inside is the KONG’s.

Jolly Push-n-Play 14 inch

Kai’s push ball is the worn red Jolly Pets Push-n-Play, the 14 inch size, which is the biggest one Jolly makes. It’s scuffed and still round. The photo shows him with it in the yard.

Jolly says the Push-n-Play is hard plastic, it floats, and the 10 and 14 inch sizes have a fill plug. Jolly also says plainly that it isn’t meant to be a chew toy, that excessive use may wear teeth, and that no toy is indestructible. Treat it as a push ball, not a chew.

Size does a lot of the work here. A 14 inch ball is hard for a dog to get a mouth around, and a ball a dog can’t bite into is hard to take apart. I have a whole page on it, the Jolly ball for Australian Shepherds, if you want sizing and the other Jolly balls.

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QDAN herding soccer ball

Kai loves this ball and has so much fun with it. Nose and chest first, then he grabs a green tab and yanks. The green tabs are the handle, and they’re what turn it from a plain ball into a game.

The straps let a dog carry the ball and keep the game going without someone throwing every few seconds, which suits a herding breed with a lot of drive. Kai’s is the standard Large.

The straps are also the part most likely to give. Play with it in open space and stay with your dog. Don’t leave it out as a chew, and retire it if a strap rips or the shell cracks. There’s more in my QDAN herding ball review, and the herding ball guide compares it with other options.

KONG Classic

The KONG Classic is Kai-tested, and his is the Medium. It’s the hollow, snowman shaped rubber toy most dog owners know, and the hollow middle is what makes it a stuffing toy.

KONG says the red Classic is natural rubber made for average chewers and that it’s ideal for stuffing and freezing. For the most powerful chewers, KONG points you to the black Extreme instead. If your dog takes rubber toys apart, that’s the one to look at.

One honest note on size. Kai’s is the Medium. KONG sizes by weight and lists the Large for dogs from 30 to 65 lb, and it says the largest ring should be bigger than the back of your dog’s mouth. If your dog is between sizes or you’re not sure, KONG says to size up. My full write-up is the KONG Classic for Australian Shepherds.

What durable means for an Aussie

Durable doesn’t mean indestructible. Every maker on this page says some version of that. Jolly says no toy is indestructible, and KONG says the same about its own rubber. What durable really means is that the toy fits how your dog plays and holds up when it’s used the way it was built for.

Aussies are herders, and a lot of their play is moving things: pushing, chasing, grabbing and dragging. That’s rough on toys, but it’s a different kind of rough from a dog who lies down and chews for an hour. A push ball can handle a lot of herding and still crack under a determined chewer. A rubber chew can take hours of gnawing and be a poor fit for a herding game. Match the toy to the job.

Soft toys are their own category. They’re great for carrying and comfort, but they aren’t built for the same pulling and shoving as a herding ball, so they don’t belong on a list of tough toys. The softer side of the toy pile is in my best toys for Australian Shepherds guide.

KONG’s guidance for its rubber toys is simple: check them often and replace them once you see cracks or missing pieces. That rule works for every toy on this page, plastic and straps included. A toy doesn’t have to be in pieces to be finished.

The AKC’s advice on toy durability lines up with this. Supervise play, and throw toys away once they have rips, tears or deep punctures. A toy that’s coming apart is how dogs end up swallowing pieces.

Picking the right size for a 48 lb dog

Size is the first safety check and the easiest one to get wrong. A toy that’s too small can be swallowed or get stuck.

• Balls. PDSA says to pick a ball big enough that your dog can’t swallow it or get it lodged in the throat, and warns that very hard balls can break teeth in dogs that chew hard.
• Push balls. Kai is 48 lb and has the 14 inch Push-n-Play. A bigger ball is harder to get a mouth around, which keeps it a push toy.
• KONG. Go by KONG’s chart and the back of your dog’s mouth, and size up if you’re unsure.
• Everything else. The AKC’s guide to picking toys says to match toys to your dog’s size and play style.

Jolly’s own chart lists the 10 inch Push-n-Play for large dogs of 60 to 110 pounds. Kai sits below that at 48 lb and has the 14 inch. For a push ball, bigger works in your favor, because the whole idea is a ball your dog can’t bite into. For a chew toy like the KONG, follow the maker’s chart and check it against your dog’s mouth.

If you have more than one dog, buy for the biggest mouth in the house. KONG gives that advice for its own toys, and it makes sense for balls too.

How to rotate tough toys so they last

Rotation is the cheapest way to make good toys last longer. Keep two or three out and put the rest away. Toys that sit on the floor all day get boring, and swapping them keeps the old ones interesting while spreading the wear.

• Keep game toys for games. Herding balls like the Jolly and the QDAN are best brought out for play with you and put away after.
• Give the KONG its own slot. A stuffed KONG is a different kind of toy from a ball, so it rotates on its own schedule.
• Fetch is its own thing. A fetch toy like the Chuckit Flying Squirrel is built for throwing, not for holding, so it isn’t on this list of tough toys.
• Check before you hand it over. A quick look at straps, seams and the surface takes ten seconds. Cracks, splits and loose pieces mean it’s done.

Rotation doesn’t make a weak toy strong. It just keeps a good toy from being worn out by a dog with nothing else to do.

Side by side comparison

Frequently asked questions

Are there indestructible toys for Australian Shepherds?

No. Jolly and KONG both say no toy is indestructible. Pick toys that match how your dog plays, supervise, and throw a toy away once it has rips, tears or deep punctures.

Is a KONG Classic tough enough for an Aussie?

KONG says the red Classic is made for average chewers and points the most powerful chewers to the black Extreme. Size it by your dog’s weight and mouth, and size up if you’re unsure. Kai’s KONG Classic is the Medium.

Can I leave a herding ball with my Aussie when I’m not watching?

It’s not a good idea. Jolly says the Push-n-Play isn’t a chew toy, the AKC says to supervise play, and straps on a ball like the QDAN can rip. Throw out any toy with rips, tears or deep punctures.

More toy guides: the Jolly ball, the QDAN herding ball, the KONG Classic and the herding ball guide. Everything else Kai uses is in the Owner’s Kit.