Al & Gwynnie's Experts' Ball Review.  Rather technical, sorry.  Posted in "Corgi Health" because exercise is critical.    Purchased at rummage or yard sales.  The most expensive ball was $2.

A.  Basketballs are too big.  Corgis like to take it on the nose.  I fear this could hurt their necks.  Get something less massive.  These went to the school.  But we did use a skinless basketball inner tube for a long time.

B.  A volleyball is nice, light and lively -- but this one's padding invites teeth.  The smaller radius also makes it vulnerable to teeth.  It's too good for dogs, brand-new.  It went to the school.  Larger balls are more tooth-resistant.

C.  Same as "B", but the padding isn't so soft, and it might survive.  Volleyballs are much lighter than basketballs.

D.  This is a childrens' basketball marketed as a "yoga ball".  It comes close to the ideal, which is a Nike Jr. children's basketball which says "500" on it (not pictured).   It's 7-8" diameter, has a toothproof basketball skin, and adequate momentum, but soccer balls are faster and go farther.  

E.  A thin rubber playground ball.  These are soft, light, don't carry far, and won't last 5 minutes.  Give them to the school.  But give one a try.

F.  Water polo balls are small enough to be tooth-vulnerable, but the smooth skin seems to protect them.  Very light, so they don't go as far, but they're lively and unlikely to hurt the dog.  Alas, this brand-new one leaks overnight.  I like to overinflate them, tight as a banjo-string, which eventually makes them leak.  They're worth a try.

G.  Soccer ball.  These are the fastest, carry well, perhaps our favorite; their speed and momentum give the corgi a good workout.  Look for ones without soft padding, but the dogs will soon tear off the offending padding anyway (which lightens the ball considerably).  Their larger radius discourages teeth.

You will need an air pump and filling needle.  Write your name and number on them if you want to keep them.

It's a personal foul to kick the ball directly into the corgi. Al often bites his tongue, it bleeds disconcertingly but quickly stops.

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These are the favorites in our house and they last forever. Wynn does love his soccer ball but can only play with it when Armani isn't around:(
Nice info. My corgi is not a fan of balls. My rat terrier got possessive the first time we tried to play ball and now Hercules is wary of playing with balls. I have try again when I have him outside alone. Garage sales are a great source of dog toys. Besides balls I get stuffed animals. They ones made for babies hold up really well, they have to be made better, no plastic eyes or noses to chew off.
I read somewhere that the flame retardant in kids stuffed toys is not good for dogs. Swells up in their innards if they ingest it. Could be an urban rumor but maybe not.
Good rule of thumb....would you want it in your innards? :)
Flame retardants are brominated hydrocarbons. Bromine is nearly the same thing as chlorine, and chlorinated hydrocarbons tend to be bad news.
We just bought new "chuck it balls" for the dogs yesterday jane!  I agree, the dogs love them and they last forever.  My problem is Seanna hords them all....
 Jen...Livvy is the hoarder in this house and usually plays this alone with me as she can get possesive but Sage can outrun her and gets to it 1st:)
I got Bugsy a Chuckit football - size/composition of a tennis ball but shaped like a football. He loves things he can toss around himself. Only problem is he's a "hider" instead of a hoarder. When all the snow melts I'm sure quite a few things will come to the surface...
Jack loves pushing the soccer ball full-speed with his nose.  However, he goes so fast that I'm afraid he'd run into a traffic area.  We don't have a big enough fenced area and get dirty looks from passersby if we go to the local baseball field (even though we use the weedy field with no bases or even base paths; they use it maybe twice a year for play-off games). 
WILSON!!!!
:o)
Waffle's favorite kick-around ball is a big (1.5 foot diameter), vinyl ball. It's lightweight so when I kick it into his face, it doesn't hurt. It's too big for him to break with his teeth, so he can shove his face into it all he wants trying to bite it. He body slams it while he's running; he nips at it, rides it, herds it, and sometimes [accidentally] launches himself off of it. It's $2.50 at Walmart, so when it eventually dies, no one is hurt over it. Keep it out of thorns; the only reason I've lost any of them is because they've been punctured by a thorn or an armored pinecone, deflated, and waffle could get enough of a grip to rip it apart. At least the destruction is great fun, too.

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