My pup, Kali, is so obsessed with flying discs that I often joke that she’s part border collie, part blue heeler, and part Frisbee. Naturally, this means we’ve gone through a lot of flying dog toys over the years. I guess that makes me a bona fide expert.
Here are my top choices for eco-friendly, non-toxic dog ‘frisbees’ and some tips for choosing a flying dog toy.
How to choose a great flying dog toy
In an effort to reduce unnecessary consumption and littering, I’ve clambered up into trees, waded into ponds, scaled walls, and endured bramble attacks to retrieve flying dog toys lost to errant throws or wayward winds. Still, some of these toys barely survived a week of ‘normal’ use without cracking, splitting, or just falling apart.
My pup loves testing toys out in the ocean, rivers, lakes, etc., which isn’t great for non-floating toys, but does improve my year-round gumboot game.
To make it as a long-term flying toy in our household, a disc needs to be:
- Durable
- Not overly firm (so it doesn’t hurt teeth and gums)
- Able to fly!
- Able to float.
Over the last 13 years with my pup, I’ve found that very few toys meet all four conditions. Most meet just one or two at best.
Over the years, my pup and I have tried plenty of ‘indestructible’ frisbees, only to be disappointed after a few days or weeks of normal use. Those that don’t get destroyed through a vigorous shake and occasional chomp typically succumb to thievery from other pups, or a watery grave.
The longest lasting options I’ve found, and the two I have in current rotation, are both Aerobie Superdiscs. One Aerobie is more than eight years old and one around six and both are still in decent, usable shape.
The Kong Extreme Flyer has also fared well, but neither this nor the Aerobie are my top picks.
Our top picks
Honest Pet Products Eco-Fly and Tug Toy
Highlights: Fabric flyer that’s impressively durable, non-toxic, and sustainable.
- Non-toxic and safe
- Comprises regenerative hemp and wool
- Can float, fly, and roll
- Comes in two sizes, for dogs large and small
- Made in the USA
- Ethical company
- Not always in stock
- Wet hemp can smell a little funky
- Aggressive chewers will destroy this without supervision
- Heavy when wet (and harder to throw and catch)
The Eco Fly and Tug Dog Toy by Honest Pet Products was hard to track down for a while, so I’m ecstatic that it’s back! This fabric flyer is made for days by the water or hours at the park and is super sustainable, non-toxic, and fairly durable.
The Eco Fly-n-Tug is made in two different sizes:
- Small – 6-inch diameter
- Large – 10-inch diameter.
My experience with the hemp disc was pretty great, while it lasted. Kali loved playing with this soft frisbee, even when it got so heavy and wet that it slapped her in the face each time she caught it. I got the impression she liked the soggy hemp smell, even though it wasn’t pleasant for me.
Sadly, the hemp does start to tear after a while. In our case this one lasted about six months, on rotation with my more robust Aerobie disc. During that time it:
- Flew quite well
- Rolled a little when dry
- Was easy to catch and throw.
It did get bogged down by mud though and wasn’t as good at floating as I’d expected. (Grab it fast if it goes in water, before it starts to sink.)
The nice thing about this hemp and wool disc though, is that once it was too tattered for further flying, I could give it a quick wash and then let Kali shred it without worries over toxicity or intestinal blockages. Once she was done, I just put the remaining soggy mess in the compost as this disc is fully biodegradable at end of life.
Honest Pet Products easily wins a Leaf Score seal of approval. HPP not only produces exclusively sustainable, non-toxic products, it also commits to safe and fair labor for employees.
The hemp comes from responsible sources in Romania, and the ethically sourced wool (HPP calls this eco-felt) comes from Woolgatherer Carding Mill in California. All hemp toys are assembled in Wisconsin, and all wool cat toys are hand-felted by women in Nepal and Mongolia.
Awoo Frisbee Toy
Highlights: Organic jute and cotton frisbee and tug toy. Made by a super sustainable company in a fun design.
- Organic cotton canvas and organic cotton and jute rope
- GOTS certification
- Cute design
- Flies well and fun as a tug toy
- Ethical company with a toy recycling program
- Heavy and a bit gross to handle when wet!
- Tough chewers will shred it fast if playing unsupervised
This cute frisbee is extremely affordable and totally natural. Awoo uses GOTS organic cotton and jute only, with non-toxic dyes. And this thing really flies! It’s also easy for pups to catch and carry, and great if they want to play tug when/if they bring it back.
Awoo has a fabulous takeback program where it recycles old Awoo toys. Contact the company to get a prepaid shipping label and then earn credit for returning your used Awoo products for the company to ‘rePawpurse’.
WEST PAW Seaflex Sailz Dog Toy Flying Disc
Highlights: Recycled synthetic frisbee made by a US B Corp. You can wash this one in the dishwasher or washing machine, and it floats and flies well.
- Made with zero-waste ZogoFlex and (credible) recycled ocean-bound plastic
- BPA-free, latex-free, and phthalate-free
- Made in the USA by a family-owned B Corp
- 100% recyclable and backed by a Lifetime Guarantee for defects
- Dishwasher safe and machine washable
- Three colors available
- Doubles as a chew toy for moderate chewers
- Flies well, floats, and is easy for dogs to hold and catch
- Made of plastic, so it will shed microplastics
- Safety hazard if chewed and swallowed
- Not as durable as I’d like
The latest disc from West Paws is made of the company’s ZogoFlex material (recycled from old dog toys) and recycled ocean-bound plastic procured through a partnership with Oceanworks.
This iteration of the ZogoFlex disc appears to be more robust and can actually float, bumping it up my rankings versus the original ZogoFlex Zisc.
West Paws is an American B Corp that has improved its transparency and sustainability in recent years, and a good overall choice for more durable, eco-friendly products for active dogs.
That said, this is still a plastic flying disc, meaning it will degrade over time, releasing microplastics and posing a health hazard to any dogs that swallow pieces. As soon as your SeaFlex disc starts to rip, send it back to West Paws (and the company can recycle it into a new toy).
Monster K9 Dog Toys Indestructible Frisbee
Highlights: A ‘virtually indestructible’ frisbee that is ideal for bigger dogs and the most aggressive chewers.
- ‘Virtually indestructible’
- Made with ‘industrial strength natural rubber’
- Lifetime replacement guarantee
- More affordable than most discs (that are less durable)
- Company isn’t entirely transparent about materials
- No sustainability credentials
The Monster K9 Frisbee has a smooth design, meaning it is less likely to snag a tooth and get punctured. If your dog does destroy it, the company offers a one-time replacement or refund.
Monster K9’s focus is making toys for the most aggressive chewers and bigger dogs. The company puts its toys to the ultimate test – the gnashing teeth and exuberant play of German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Mastiffs and other breeds that tend to shred lesser frisbees.
Overall, the Monster K9 Frisbee seems like one of the better options out there for a flying dog toy, especially if your monster tends to destroy frisbees.
Aerobie Superdisc
Highlights: An impressively durable disc that flies very well. Mine have lasted more than 8 years!
- Easy to throw and catch – a great flyer for agility dogs!
- Incredibly durable
- Great in all weather and conditions
- Floats (thank goodness)
- Large (10 inches across) and ideal for larger dogs
- More affordable than many other discs (that don’t last nearly as long)
- Materials are unclear
- Company isn’t focused on sustainability
I love the Aerobie, but before you think this makes it my top pick for an eco-friendly, non-toxic dog flying toy, here’s my caveat: there’s no information available on the material composition of the Aerobie, and no claims made about anything other than its performance and comfort.
As such, I can’t in good conscience recommend you go out and buy one unless your pup just tears through every other disc out there.
My Aerobie’s have both endured thousands of hours of use, including at the park, at the beach, on gravel and dirt and grass and sand, in all weathers and with barely a bend or a significant nick to be seen.
Sure, they’re massively scratched up and the logo came off years ago, but the disc’s performance isn’t the least bit diminished.
What I will say is that these discs are impressively durable (at least for my pup) and fly very well, even when they’ve been folded in half over and over again. Impressively, if your pup does chomp the disc in half and cause a bit of a bend, you can bend the disc back the other way to get it (mostly) straight again.
I love that the soft spoiler lip of the Aerobie means my pup is unlikely to hurt her mouth even when the disc hits her right in the face (which it does, invariably, at least once a day). The spoiler lip is there for both comfort and to help the disc fly straighter and farther, and it really works.
Unfortunately, though, I have no idea what the Aerobie is made of. I assume its’s some kind of plastic and synthetic rubber.
So, the Aerobie may be just as good an option for you and your pup if you prize:
- Durability
- Floatability
- A soft lip but a firm form.
Durability is key for me because it’s hard to avoid the reality that most of these flying toys are made with plastic of some kind. As such, I hate the idea of having to replace them every few months or even every few years.
The Aerobie, which costs about a third of the price of the Kong Extreme Flyer, basically put an end to me buying a stream of frisbees that got destroyed or lost. I love that the Aerobie dramatically cut down my resource consumption, even if I don’t know what the darned things are made of.
Zogoflex Zisc
Highlights: BPA and phthalate-free, dishwasher safe, and guaranteed for at least one replacement or refund. Doesn’t float well though.
- Soft and safe for dog’s teeth and gums
- A sturdier, more standard frisbee feel
- Can use it upside down as a shallow water bowl
- Available in several colors that are easy to spot
- Available in two sizes (6.5-inch and 8.5-inch)
- Made in the US by a family-owned B Corp
- Free of BPA and phthalates
- Dishwasher safe
- Guaranteed for at least one replacement or refund
- Ours split after just a couple of days
- Does not float for long (grab it fast!)
- Fairly heavy (but lighter than the Extreme Flyer)
- Unclear how ‘recycled’ the material is
Based on the thousands and 4- and 5-star reviews, people and their dogs love the Zogoflex Zisc. In my experience, this one doesn’t float well and isn’t quite as eco-friendly as West Paw wants it to appear.
This flying dog disc has a deeper edge which makes for a good grip but a slightly shorter float time. On the plus side, you can turn the Zisc upside down to use it as an impromptu water bowl or food bowl if needed.
The Zisc is a little more rigid than the Kong Extreme Flyer, but lighter (225 g vs. 255 g). It’s not as rigid as the EcoSaucer, nor as light. It is supposed to float, but that hasn’t been my experience, so I’d recommend getting a brighter color you can spot easily even underwater.
As with many other West Paw products, I’m still quite skeptical of the ‘recycled’ nature of the Zisc, and about its toxicity. These ‘recycled’ dog toys may not be much more eco-friendly than a brand new plastic toy, given we have no data over the material and chemical composition of these toys.
Still, this is likely one of the better dog frisbees out there and plenty of folks have had many happy months of use with this toy.
If/when your Zisc falls apart or otherwise disappoints, you can send it back to West Paws to be recycled into another dog toy.
Kong Extreme Flyer
Highlights: A typically very durable option that’s a bit heavier than most on the market.
- Durable for most dogs
- Flies well once you get the hang of it
- Soft, so won’t hurt teeth or gums
- A more durable, potentially less toxic black version of the Flyer
- Quite hard to throw as it’s pretty floppy
- Very heavy
- Doesn’t float
- Kong isn’t transparent about product composition and testing
As with other Kong toys, I’d go for the black version of the Kong Flyer, i.e., the Extreme. In my experience, this flyer is definitely tougher than the other colors. It may also be slightly safer, as it may be free of potentially toxic chemicals Kong uses to color its other flyers.
So far, Kali hasn’t chewed through a black Kong Extreme Flyer. She has, however, chewed a perfectly round hole in the center of every red and blue Kong Flyer within a few weeks – goodness knows why. This doesn’t affect how it flies, but it does make it more likely to tear and to get stuck in trees.
This frisbee also weighs in at a whopping 255 grams, which is twice as heavy as the EcoSaucer and a little heavier than the Zisc. It sure feels heavy and, as it is a soft frisbee, it can take a bit of getting used to.
There is a knack to it, though, and if your pup is anything like mine, they’ll give you lots of practice. If you like a more conventional frisbee to throw, consider the Zisc as this is soft enough to be safe but is more sturdy and lighter.
Sadly, Kong is not at all transparent about material safety, with no information on products or listings and no response to my questions about product composition, certification, and testing. The company also lacks any meaningful sustainability credentials.
PAWSPIK® Tug-of-War Disc Toy
Highlights: Made entirely of recycled materials and fun for frisbee and tug of war, but hard to clean and annoyingly squeaky.
- Eco-friendly recycled material certified by GRS
- Flies well and doubles as a tug toy
- Contains squeaker
- Soft material that won’t hurt teeth
- For medium and large dogs
- 8.5-inch diameter
- Very robust tug rope and material
- Ears are easily chewed off
- Squeaker can be irritating (and encourages many dogs to destroy the toy)
- Could float better
- Hard to clean and gets dirty fast
- Somewhat heavy when wet
Made with post-consumer recycled plastic (three 500 mL bottles in each disc), adhering to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), the PawsPik tug and fly toy is a top choice for dogs who love to fetch but like to play a little when bringing the toy back. The handy rope makes it much easier to engage in a little tug of war with your pup compared to a regular disc.
This ‘disc’ is surprisingly durable, though best still for moderate to light chewers only. It also gets quite filthy after just one muddy park session, and you can’t throw it in the washing machine or dishwasher like other discs on this list. Handwashing is best, and expect it to need some time to dry.
Personally, the squeaker in this toy is a deal breaker for me. And if your dog likes to disembowel toys with squeakers, this one won’t fly for long.
Green Toys Eco Saucer Flying Disc
Highlights: A bigger frisbee suitable for human use and some larger dogs. Hard plastic, though, so beware of mouth injuries.
- Made in California from 100% recycled plastic bags
- Free of BPA and phthalates
- Food-safe, mineral-based coloring
- 100% recyclable cardboard packaging printed (minimally) with soy ink
- Hard plastic, so not safe for all dogs
- Can crack if chomped hard
- Won’t float for long
- Larger than typical dog discs
The Green Toys Eco Saucer Flying Disc is a very eco-friendly choice but not necessarily safe for all dogs. That’s because this one is made with hard plastic that could take out a tooth or cut gums depending on how you use it.
Green Toys has a tight supply chain, stringent quality control, and a strong commitment to saving energy and recycling. Green Toys has also won the Greener Packaging Award for sustainable packaging and strives to create toys that educate and entertain. They’re one of my top picks for plastic kids’ toys (I own the ferry boat, submarine, and a handful of other items my kid loves).
While it’s unlikely that your dog will give a hoot about the eco-credentials of the Eco Saucer, the humans around you might take note.