Question about pups

Question
Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.  You are going to need a coffee or tea for this e-mail.  I have a few questions about German Shepherd puppies.  This week I plan to look at German Shepherd pup that I am going to adopt/buy from a farmer who said that the dogs were registered with the CKC; (not the Canadian one) the dam is a 5 year German Shepherd this is her 3rd littler.  Great temperament very nice friendly dog.  From what I was told the Sire is more wild, more of a pack mentality.  Not sure of the age but both parents are on property.  The dogs were born on December 27, 2008 this makes the dogs 3 weeks old. The breeder he is not sure if there are any flees on the pups, but all dogs are healthy.  These dog are outside dogs that live in a barn. I know that I have to wait 8 weeks to get the pup; here are the questions.  Is it to early to look at the dogs or should I wait until six weeks to see the personality of the dog?  Is there a test that you give the pups to see if they are the right dog fro you?  Ex: To get a general idea of where they are as far as dominance, independence, and such by how they react to different situations? What would you look for in a pup health wise and what questions should I ask?

Thank you for you time and advice in this matter.

Mike

Answer
This is not  a grooming question.
I can tell you this- there is no way to say for sure what the temperament of a dog will be at 8 weeks old. It can show signs of a temperament but frankly while a lot of people want to get a puppy, smart folks wait until a dog is closer to 6 months when you can check, bite, skeletal, and coat issues. You will find when a breeder has an eye on a particular puppy they hold onto it until 6 months in order to determine the real potential of a dog. That's when they decide to keep or let it go. There are basic tests but like I said wait as long as possible.
Puppies are just adorable time wasters at the ages you are talking about.