[Woogie Man]

Your post reminds me of a couple of breeders I know. One is a vet and the other is an exhibitor. The vet has upwards of 40 Yorkies, the exhibitor I'm not sure of but she has litters pretty much year round. Their dogs are well cared for and are some of the best quality available in the area. I respect their knowledge and have learned a lot from them. However, I do not agree with their breeding practices. That's just too many dogs!! For me, there is a world of difference in taking care of your dogs and caring for your dogs. At some level, no matter how well it's done, breeding too many dogs is the definition of a puppy mill. IMO, puppy mills aren't always the stacked up cages with dogs lying in their own waste many commonly think of. Some are modern and clean with very high-quality animals. The thing for me that's missing from the equation is the social welfare of the dogs. Puppies raised in these environments can miss out on so much of the socialization that is critical during the most impressionable phase of their life. It's like they're little commodities. With that being said (I'll get off my soapbox now ), I see nothing wrong with taking what knowledge you can from her. You could probably learn a lot from someone with so much experience. How you choose to apply that knowledge to your own future breeding program is up to you.