Hi Jill
My husband and I just adopted heeler/Collie also…we are also retired so have round the clock care. Any advice?? Our only problem right now is they have both turned to eating everything in their fenced yard.. especially rocks!! Any advice from anyone…HELP.
We have mesh net muzzles coming and I hope this isn’t a long term habit.

At 4 months they decided to come home with us and stayed. Originally we were going to take a boy/girl pair but ended up with all four. Had we not visited regularly on our walks things might have been different, but having bonded with mom, the puppies, we are accepted from day one.

We don’t crate, we communally feed in multiple bowls and everyone takes turns getting human attention and all get alone one on one time while the rest play.

As puppies they play bitey face, but no one has draw blood, it’s more show, as they have learned limits, so if someone nips a ear too hard a yelp and the older dog steps in takes on an authoritarian role as needed.

Three months down the road and we are doing fine with a acre plus yard and a fence so the are contained from neighbors and livestock.

I disagree with a lot of the info presented here in part, but mainly it ignores some of the preplanning we took before letting them come home with us, the play visits and the getting to know each other over a longer span than just bringing one or more home at once. Momma dog had to allow us access before they were weaned and that only happened from a prior bonding of several years.