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We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
You may even get a bit of a workout too.
Promising review: "My dogs won't swim after balls but will bring back sticks forever. Using this has been fantastic. They can see, grab and carry it easily. The rope is great for throwing it out. They will swim longer when they have the goal of bringing this back. Best exercise for them!" —Catherine L. Frazer
Get it from Amazon for $9.95.
Promising review: "My dog never understood the concept of Fetch. It didn't matter what I tried. This FINALLY has her fetching and using up all (OK, most) of the energy that a cattle dog has. We can play over and over and over without my measly arm wearing out, and she's able to sprint to her heart's content. I'm already planning to gift one to my brother's dog who also is fetch-dumb." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $9.92.
Promising review: "I have a whole room filled with cat toys that my cat is not interested in. It's funny how the least expensive cat toy I have makes him go crazy. He plays with this until he's panting like a dog and I have never seen him jump so high. I'm certain this toy will help him lose his belly. He loves it! I highly recommend it!" —Kwoo
Get it from Amazon for $2.09.
Promising review: "My puppy LOVES this mat! He gets super excited whenever he sees it. He sometimes doesn't like to eat his kibbles in his bowl, but he has so much fun finding and eating kibbles when I hide them into this mat. I heard nose work is also good for reducing separation anxiety in dogs, so I give him this mat whenever I need to leave more than two hours. He deals with separation way better with this. I'm 100% satisfied!" —Bom
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in two sizes).
Promising review: "I have what may be the most hyper, puppy-dumb, yellow lab. She also weighs around 75 pounds. I'm not a very confident bike rider since I have only ridden a bike a handful of times between 14 and 43 years of age. My dog took to this within minutes. She has tried to take off after another dog, but I did not become fodder for a YouTube fail video. She stopped abruptly to scratch her ear, and again, it didn't knock me off of the bicycle. I have held off of an activity that I love for years because I had such guilt leaving my sweet dog at home, especially since she is home alone all day while I work. Now we can both get the exercise we desperately need and enjoy ourselves in the process." —Vicki
Get it from Amazon for $79.99.
Promising review: "The toy has been up for about two weeks and it seems to be holding up well. My dog is a little lazy and needs the exercise but won't play fetch/return. One run down and she is done, so this toy was an experiment. I am happy to say she loves it. It is the first thing she runs to when she is let out. She will play with it for about 15 minutes before she gets tired. All seems very durable and safe. I would recommend this toy!" —KShoe
Get it from Amazon for $28.99+ (available in two sizes).
Promising review: "I am a petite person, and running with my 70-pound Weimaraner was getting to be hard on my upper back. He needs the exercise and loves running, but I was getting to the point of leaving him behind because the yanking was leaving me with upper back soreness for days. So, I did some research... Yesterday I ran 3 miles with him and continued for 3 miles without him or the leash. I felt great either way. The bungee-style leash is brilliant for running! As he changed pace, found a mailbox to pee on, or ran from a cow, instead of the leash yanking me, it gives some slack to minimize the tug and the elasticity of the bungee helps to pull the dog back. Don’t get me wrong, I could still feel him pulling, but no where near a normal leash. And I’m able to use my body weight to help control him as opposed to my arm and upper back. The handles on the leash are well placed as well, and as we cross streets or see other animals, I can have better control of him by using the adequately placed handles. I have two small children and being able to be hands free outside on walks or playing is a game-changer. Bottom line: I wish I would have found something like this years ago" —MeganS
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
Promising review: "I got this for a petite cat whose wily ways drove me to try walking her. She LOVES it, but she pulled out of the first two (skimpy) harnesses. This one is better and more secure — especially when you pull the Velcro tight before snapping into place. The two leash hooks make it even more secure. She could probably still wiggle out with serious effort, but it's the best I've tried yet. Plus she looks like a bada$$ mofo, which counters my own crazy-cat-lady-walking-her-cat vibe just enough to be passable." —LBB
Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in seven sizes and 27 colors).
Promising review: "Our 4-year-old German Shepherd will go absolutely BONKERS if she sees this bad boy coming out of the closet. We have to keep it locked away, otherwise she will dig it out of her toy box and smack us with it until we take her out to play with it. It's a fun toy to throw in the park for her to chase, and once you figure out the perfect throwing technique, it'll have 'hang time' in the air to allow for the dog to jump up and snag it before it hits the ground. Great exercise for her that also wears her out and lets us have some peace and quiet. The squirrel is very durable and has withstood our GSD playing tug-of-war with a 6-month-old Labrodoodle with sharp puppy teeth. The undersides of the 'feet' glow in the dark too! So many people have stopped me in the park to ask 'What is that thing??' and I just tell them to look for the Flying Squirrel on Amazon. Just buy the dang squirrel, you won't regret it!!" —Loakes13
Get it from Amazon for $8.69.
Promising review: "Wow!! This hasn't been out of the box 10 minutes and my little Shih-Poo Girl is exhausted!! She loves squeaky toys, but she usually has the squeaker out in 5–10 minutes, and she gets upset because they don't make noise anymore. I was looking on Amazon for some dog toys and I was watching the video about this ball and she heard the noise and started barking and looking all over for it, That's when I knew I had to try it with her. Now she can get some exercise that I can not personally help her with (I'm disabled)." —hill1000
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
Promising review: "I don't write or give reviews EVER but this dog toy is so great I had to review it! We have a high energy, super strong 55-pound German shorthair that HAS to be run multiple times a day. This teaser toy is a fun way for us to exercise him, and our dog LOVES it! It is one of the only exercises that will get him panting and a bit tired (he has endless energy) after only 10 or 15 minutes of play. He gets so excited when he sees us grab the toy! It is a great way to release some energy in a short amount of time, and we use it right before company comes for this reason! He loves to play tug-of-war and this toy has held up great to lots of tug; the toy has had no problem holding up to his strength. For a dog that destroys most toys within minutes, we are extremely pleased that it has held up well to daily play after six weeks." —Reviewer
Get it from Amazon for $14.66.
Promising review: "We bought this for our 9-week-old kittens, and as soon as we set it up, they been to explore. At first they stayed on the lowest level, but within a few weeks, they were utilizing every level and cubby. They use the scratch posts frequently, and they even climb the ladder. This was well worth the money because our kittens use it every day both for napping and exercising." —Frequent Buyer
Get it from Amazon for $65.99+ (available in four colors).
Promising review: "Since our two rescue cats figured out the activity shelves were for them, they haven't left them alone. They are sturdy and modern to fit in with my decor too. Might need another set for downstairs!" —Cindy Globus
Get the three-piece set from Amazon for $79.95 (also available in individual shelves).
Promising review: "My dog is a fast eater. This toy keeps her busy for hours trying to get treats out of the ball. I put larger pieces of treats inside to slow down kibble from coming out of the ball. It's larger than others so it doesn't get stuck under furniture." —Lauren Howroyd
Get it from Amazon for $12.44.
Promising review: "I have a rescue Aussie who has finally come out of his scared shell. He has taken to the Hol-ee roller ball in a special way. He keeps it and throws it up in the air. Then he catches it and runs around me like crazy. It is good exercise for him and a good laugh for me." —Bre Zee
Get it from Amazon for $4.99+ (available in five sizes and as a two-pack).
Promising review: "I have had the KONG Flyer for about a month now, and my puppy absolutely loves it. He will fetch just about anything but has a rather short attention span, except for the Flyer! With this toy, he will play until he is completely tuckered out. It is by far his favorite thing to chase in the backyard, then lie down and chew. I think my favorite feature of this toy is that puppy gets his exercise relatively quickly, which is nice for us humans in the colder months. Additionally, it's not too tough on his teeth, and very easy to clean. I very much recommend this for owners of energetic dogs and puppies." —Michelle Collins
Get it from Amazon for $10.99+ (available in two sizes).
Promising review: "Molly absolutely LOVES her Nerf Gun Tennis Ball Blaster. She whines and starts jumping around with excitement whenever we bring it out to play. She usually likes to hang on to the tennis balls instead of dropping it for us to throw again, but with this toy she’s so excited for us to launch it that she is willing to drop the ball. She’s so happy with this toy, and it’s great to use in the backyard to get some exercise if we don’t have time to go for a walk. It is a little bigger than we were expecting (see pictures for size) but works great. We’ve been using regular tennis balls, and they fit perfectly into the launcher. Overall, I would highly recommend this toy for any tennis ball-loving dogs." —Paul Johnson
Get it from Amazon for $9.49+ (available in three sizes).
Promising review: "Purchased this for my 12-year-old 45-pound Labradoodle to get him in the pool and getting some exercise. He doesn't have a lot of muscle anymore but this does a great job of holding him up so he can swim some laps. It fits him well, and it easy to take on/off." —Majape
Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in five sizes).
Promising review: "We needed a solution for a cat who must be kept away from the other cats. This gives her some exercise and an escape from being annoyed by her food-stealing brothers. LOL she loves it and we do too. She’s much happier! It’s so easy to clean! She has her own two litter pans in the bottom. No boy cats allowed in her 'she shed.'" —Vickie C.
Get it from Amazon for $119.27.
Promising review: "It's perfect to get my piggies their exercise both indoors and outdoors. We have two cats who would love to 'play' with the piggies, so the full mesh protection is perfect to help predator and prey safely coexist. It is also great for piggie playdates in the yard since you can take out the bottom for grass playtime. We have hawks so again the protection is great. So far a great product." —Craig R
Get it from Amazon for $38.99+ (available in eight sizes and eight colors).
Promising review: "It’s a cute addition to my living room and was not difficult to put together by myself. It is heavy and sturdy — good for climbing. My cat loves it. His favorite game now (a sentiment not shared by the dogs) is playing death from above. He hides behind the leaves and peaks out at the dogs. Then drops onto them like a leopard on a gazelle. Lots of fun for the cat. The dogs are slowly learning to avoid kitty’s death tree. He enjoys sharpening his claws on the grassy bit. And he will lay under the tree on the grass sometimes, like it’s a shade tree. He is getting exercise by climbing it. Now he can run right up it to the top without pausing. He gets quite the arm workout going between the levels when he deadlifts himself with his front paws, like he’s doing dips. So in short: cat gives it 5 stars. Dogs are wondering about the return policy." —Mitch
Get it from Amazon for $95.63+ (available in three sizes).
Promising review: "OK I've got to say, I probably review 1 out of 50 Amazon purchases, but I have to review this one. Our dogs (Rottweilers) LOVE these. I purchased about six or eight for Christmas and when they are out running they all have one in their mouth. They love the squeak they make, you have to laugh just watching them. And they last for months." —PCFlorida
Get it from Amazon for $10.03 (and buy a Good Cuz for $7.95 to ensure the perfect balance of good and evil).
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.