Blithe loves to play tug, throw and retrieve, but NOT outside. He will not play outside regardless of how much he enjoys running in and out his dog door. He just stands there when I throw a ball and looks at me as if saying "You expect me to go get that ball? You're nuts!"
However he does love to play inside with any of several types of balls he has, but by far the favorite is the Kong tennis ball that is just small enough to get in his mouth. Lately I've been having problems with my shoulder and arm (rotator cuff from repetitive movements = throwing a ball?) so I can't play as much as he'd like, so he's taken to dangling the ball by the loose fuzz and throwing it around himself. So far he hasn't broken anything.
He still loves the rubber 10 or 12 inch kid's ball and will have a great time pushing it all over the house with his feet, ALWAYS with another toy in his mouth while he's doing it.