Hi Julie and thanks for your post,
I am sorry to hear about your vet bill! It is amazing the variety of things that dogs will eat or swallow that end up as foreign body obstructions in the GI tract and almost any dog toy can end up in bits and swallowed in an instant by larger dogs or active chewers. Some of the hard balls can be even worse as when they break up the pieces are sharp and can penetrate the intestine causing an often fatal peritonitis. The important thing therefore is to be able to take any item off your dog immediately. Have a good read through the section on training "drop" in your secrets to dog training. Start your training with an item that is less valuable to your dog than a ball to increase your success. You can also consider buying some of the black kong toys which are intended for heavy chewing and will not break up into swallowable sized pieces. If you find one that is a good size for your dog and often fill it with treats etc the toy should become very valuable to your dog and you could then take him to the park and keep him interested in his toy therefore reducing the chances of him running off with other toys he may chew and swallow.
I hope these two ideas help, let me know how you and your dog get on.
All the best,
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