Most owners ask us the same question before they order: which size? It's the right question. A herding ball doesn't work like a regular toy. Get the size wrong and you've either bought something your dog can pick up and lose interest in after twenty minutes, or something so large they give up trying to push it. Neither is what you paid for.
This guide walks you through how the sizing actually works, gives you the exact numbers, and covers the awkward cases — mixed breeds, puppies, dogs between sizes. The short version lives on our size guide. This is the long version.
The mistake most owners make
The mistake is choosing a herding ball the way you'd choose any other toy: by guessing.
A herding ball is sized on one principle: your dog should not be able to pick it up. That's what flips the brain from "fetch" mode into "herd" mode — the instinct a Border Collie or a German Shepherd has been wired for over generations of working livestock.
If the ball is too small, your dog mouths it, lifts it, and treats it like a football. The herding instinct never activates. Fun for a bit, then boring.
If the ball is too large, your dog can't get low enough to push it properly. The instinct fires but the body can't follow. Frustration, then disinterest.
The size that works is the one that's just too big to pick up — but small enough to nudge, steer, and chase with chest and nose.
Breed first, then height and weight
The fastest way to get it right is to start with your dog's breed. Each of the four sizes is built around a set of working breeds, and for most dogs the breed alone points to the right ball.
If your dog is a mix, between sizes, or not listed below, cross-check two readings: shoulder height and weight. Height tells you how tall your dog stands; weight tells you how much dog is behind the push. Together they describe how big your dog is at chest level — which is where the ball lives.
When the two readings point at different sizes, go with the larger one. More on that rule below.
How to measure shoulder height
Three steps. Two minutes. You'll need a tape measure and a reasonably patient dog.
Step 1. Have your dog stand square and still. Sitting, lying down, or stretching gives you a wrong number. A second pair of hands helps — one person holds a treat at nose height to keep the dog looking forward, the other measures.
Step 2. Find the withers. Run your hand from the base of the neck back along the spine — the withers is the bony point where the shoulder blades meet the neck, the highest point on a standing dog's back. Most dogs have a slight ridge there you can feel.
Step 3. Measure straight down from the withers to the ground. Not from the head — from the withers. That number is the shoulder height.
Write it down. That's the figure you'll use against the table below.
The four sizes
| Size | Shoulder height | Weight | Typical breeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 cm | up to 37 cm | up to 11 kg | Corgi and other small breeds |
| 55 cm | 38–50 cm | 11–23 kg | Border Collie, medium herders |
| 75 cm | 51–62 cm | 23–34 kg | Australian Shepherd |
| 95 cm | 63 cm and up | 34 kg and up | German Shepherd, Malinois, Rottweiler, Dobermann |
Every size is built the same way: a ballistic fabric cover over an inflatable inner ball. If the inner ball is ever damaged, you replace the inner ball on its own — not the whole ball.
45 cm — small herders
Best for Corgis and other dogs that are short in the shoulder and built close to the ground. This is the size that lets them push and steer without the ball towering over them. Herding instinct works just as hard in a Corgi as it does in a Border Collie — the body just needs the right scale of ball.
55 cm — medium herders
The most common pick. Most Border Collies land here, along with other dogs in the 38–50 cm shoulder range. If your Border Collie is on the tall, rangy end, measure before you decide — some of them belong in the 75 cm.
75 cm — full-sized working dogs
Australian Shepherds and other dogs with a deeper chest, a longer leg, or a bigger frame. Aussies especially benefit from going up a size — their drive is intense and they want a ball they can really lean into.
95 cm — large working breeds
German Shepherds, Malinois, Rottweilers, Dobermanns. If your dog is big enough that a 75 cm ball looks small under their chest, you want the 95 cm herding ball. It's also the size where the scale itself does the most work: the bigger the ball relative to the dog, the harder it is to get a jaw hold on the cover.
Questions owners actually ask
My dog is between sizes. What do I do?
Size up. This is the single most useful rule for picking a herding ball. A ball that's slightly larger than ideal still triggers the herding instinct — your dog adapts. A ball that's slightly smaller stops working as a herding ball altogether, because your dog picks it up. Bigger is the safer mistake.
I have a mixed breed — what size?
Go by the body, not the name. Pick the breed your dog most resembles, then cross-check shoulder height and weight against the table. If the mix measures and weighs like a full Australian Shepherd, treat them like one. The instinct doesn't care about the paperwork.
My dog is still a puppy. Buy for now or for later?
Most owners buy for the size their dog will be in twelve months. A puppy grows into a 75 cm ball, and you'll want that ball for years. If your puppy is very small now, the 45 cm is a reasonable starter — but expect to want a second size as they grow.
My dog has destroyed every ball I've bought
Then sizing matters twice for you. A gym ball pops the first time a determined dog gets its teeth into it — that's the story we hear most often. A herding ball is built differently: the ballistic cover takes the teeth and claws, and the inflatable inner ball inside stays out of reach of a correctly sized dog. If the inner ball does get damaged, it's replaceable separately. But the cover does its job best when the ball is big enough that your dog can't get a proper grip — which is one more reason to size up, not down.
If in doubt, size up
Worth repeating, because it settles most edge cases. If you measure your dog and they land exactly on the line between two sizes — go up. If your breed isn't in the table and you're matching by similar dogs — go up. If you're buying for a puppy who's going to grow — go up.
The cost of buying one size too big is a slightly clumsy first week while your dog learns to handle it. The cost of buying one size too small is a ball that doesn't work as a herding ball at all.
A note on inflation
Two things here. First, the ball has to be fully and firmly inflated for the sizing to work. A half-inflated 75 cm ball behaves like a 60 cm ball — soft, slack, and easy to grip. Pump it up properly.
Second, inflatable balls lose a little air over time. That's normal physics, not a defect. Check the firmness every couple of weeks and top up when needed.
Still not sure?
If you've measured your dog and you're still torn between two sizes, get in touch — tell us the breed, the shoulder height, and the weight, and we'll tell you which one we'd pick. We'd rather you get the right size first time.
All four sizes are in the shop, and the size guide has the same table with measurement diagrams.