Frisbee Anyone?
Expert Opinion: Our top 3 favorite dog frisbees and WHY!
If you follow ‘Oli on Instagram you know he loves frisbee more than just about anything else in this world.
Frisbee at the beach is his absolute favorite! At the park? That works for him as well. On a trail? Sure! Any open space will do.
As long as you have a frisbee in hand ‘Oli is your best friend. With this obsession came some investment on our end.
Surprisingly, many dog frisbees aren’t cheap. But if I have learned anything over the the past year and a half of owning a cattle dog, the cheap stuff is almost never the cheapest in the long run.
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Trial and Error
The first frisbee I ever bought ‘Oli was simply to try it out. It didn’t take long to discover that that wouldn’t be the last frisbee I would buy him.
Within a week the frisbee was wrecked, but ‘Oli was totally hooked. Naturally, I bought the exact same frisbee again and back to the beach we went.
But about a week or so later that frisbee met a similar fate and suddenly I was looking at a third frisbee purchase in only a months time and I thought to myself, “this is going to get expensive.”
I had gone with this frisbee that shall not be named, over others because it was only $10, it was well rated and it floated. At the time it felt like the cheapest option, but fast forward a few weeks and I was about to buy a third one when the “expensive” Ruffwear frisbee I had laughed at weeks prior was starting to look like it was potentially a good deal.
I posted about frisbee suggestions to our Instagram and many of our friend on the platform reassured me that I would not regret buying the Ruffwear frisbee for ‘Oli, so I did it.
I ordered him the “expensive” frisbee.
It’s over a year later and it’s still in one piece! I love when gear humbles me like that. So, if you are like me and thinking there is no way you’d spend more than $20 on a dog toy, now you know why you might want to consider the higher upfront cost.
The Ruffwear - HydroPlane
Overall: If you’re looking for a frisbee that can perform equally in a water and land environments (beach or park) This is the one.
The Ruffwear Hydroplane was the very first frisbee ‘Oli caught in the air!
On a overcast day in early February of last year I threw ‘Oli’s beloved frisbee and for the first time in his life he leaped out of the air and caught it mid flight and we all cheered in delight!
Here’s a few more reasons why we love the Hydro Plane™ Floating Throw Toy by Ruffwear.
It floats: this is essential for frisbee sharking around dah beeach!
It has a hollow center: this feature helps reduce the amount of water ‘Oli inadvertently swallows when he swims around with the frisbee in his mouth, it makes it easier for ‘Oli to hold/grab, and it even allows for creative carrying solutions for times when we walk to the beach!
It is durable: this frisbee of ours has been whipped around, cycled through the ocean, buried in the dirt, thrown around the trunk, and it still looks better than our first frisbee did on day two. In fact, you may not even know this frisbee has been well loved by just looking at it. Durable is an understatement when it comes to Ruffwear gear, this is something we have come to know well.
It is light weight: while ‘Oli’s Poppaw may disagree about this being a benefit... ‘Oli and I like this quality because it is easy to carry on our walks, and it is easy to throw.
Ideal conditions for this frisbee would be out enjoying a body of water in low to no wind conditions.
So why did we even get another frisbee if we love the Ruffwear Hydro plane so much? Two reasons: one being another brand we love reached out to us and gift us their floating frisbee, keep reading if you want to know how that frisbee stacks up.
Second, as ‘Oli had progressed in his agility, while the frisbee was holding up great overall, it had lost some of it’s rigidity that helped with predictability of the throw to make it easier for ‘Oli to catch it.
West Paw - Sailz
Overall: If you’re in need of a go to beach frisbee, look no further! Hoping to play more at the park or other non-water environment… this would not be our first choice.
Originating from ocean bound microplastics, the West Paw Sailz knows just how to navigate a windy beach day.
While this frisbee is by far the most eco-friendly it is also durable and hard core.
This frisbee is not for the weak. This is a heavier-duty frisbee which makes it excel in windy beach conditions but it is also a bit heavy to carry and throw. I swear my neck hurt for a week when we first got it lol. I would have suck with the HydroPlane but Poppaw loved the sailz frisbee and while I complained it hurt my neck he insisted we keep using it.
He was right. It is a great frisbee. Plus it seems I have since increased my strength as the neck pain hasn’t been an ongoing issue.
Here’s why we love it:
Build: the Sailz has a great structure, it looks brand new even after hundreds of uses, it cuts through the wind, it floats, and it is shaped for easy carrying by the dog. The cupped sides and hollow center allows for ‘Oli to have an easier time grabbing it out of the sand and water which definitely leads to less frustration.
It solves a big problem: we love the beach and all the sealife that call the beach home. It hurts our hearts to see the microplastics scattering our beaches and we love that West Paw is proactively doing something about this problem.
Both of these items make this frisbee ideal for a windy beach day. Guilt-free fun coming right up!
If you follow our Instagram you know we use this frisbee almost on the daily, we aren’t just trying to earn a commission. But we are affiliates with WestPaw which benefits us both!
If you think this frisbee will fit your lifestyle and play conditions well, you can use our code: DAHHEELERBOY at check out to get 10% off your whole order.
Sold? To buy a Sailz frisbee, click here.
Mighty Paw
Overall: Rarely play frisbee near water? This one is for you! Your best park days are one click away.
One day when I was shopping around for a new leash, I was offered a deal I couldn’t refuse, so contrary to the above lesson that a cheap initial cost does not necessarily mean it’s a good price in the long run, this frisbee likes to live life on the edge of this paradox.
Here’s the story: as I was checking out with two new leashes for ‘Oli, the site offered me a frisbee 2 pack for only $12.
“$12 for 2 frisbees?!” I thought, milliseconds before I add the proposed deal to my cart.
I had already checked out before I had come back to my senses and began to worry.
Did I just get bamboozled?
There wasn’t much I could do about it now so it was just a wait-and-see sort of situation.
Awaiting the delivery of my mystery frisbees, I had already anticipated how it would go in my mind. I expected to have $12 worth of fun with these frisbees and we’d then move on with our lives.
I truly wasn’t expecting to be blown away by a $6 frisbee. However the Mighty Paw Dog Frisbee is a winner in our book. While it is not ideal for the beach like the Hydro Plane or Sailz, it IS ideal for the park.
If you’re confused why this frisbee is a no go for our beach days since it does float, these frisbees lacks the (beach essential) hollow center making it not water friendly in our opinion.
Here is what we love about the Mighty Paw Frisbee:
It can FLY! If you know anything about herding dogs they love to chase anything that moves. This frisbee can MOVE. It soars through the air like no other frisbee.
It is light weight: It won’t damaged you’re pups teeth or your shoulder as you throw it over and over for your eager working pup.
It handles wind well: we live on the windward side of the island so windy days are common for us. A frisbee that means business even on windy days is a frisbee we want in our pack. ‘Oli gets so much enjoyment out of catching the frisbee in the air that it is a very important aspect of what makes a good frisbee. Plus, I have found ‘Oli is less likely to tumble and potentially hurt himself when he’s not diving for the frisbee but instead jumping for it.
‘Oli will do just about anything for his frisbee regardless of the consequences, so safety is becoming more and more of a concern as I evaluate his intense play.
If you’d like to support our page as you shop, consider using our affiliate link for Mighty Paw: click here.
If you too worry about being bamboozled by someone online, no worries you can look Mighty Paw up yourself and no commission will go to us, sound good?
Did we miss you’re pup’s favorite frisbee? We’d love to test it out if we haven’t already! Leave us a comment so we can check it out.