I breed cocker spaniels, only once a year for each female, you don't want to breed them twice a year, the need time to recover. If you didn't have breeders, where would you get your AKC/CKC dogs? We have an acre, no kennels, and more often than not, the dogs are on the couch and we are sitting on the floor..they run the house and they know it. If you love the dogs, it makes all the difference in the world. =)