I speak from the pet/companion/ carting and K-9 backpacking perspective and my personal experience. I've always chosen the puppy or dog that seems to stand out to me in the litter or shelter runs. That being said, our four dogs have very different personalities and in some cases have changed drastically from what their behavior as pups suggested.

Trigger our 6yro lab/golden mix came to live with us when he was 6 mths old. We were told he'd calm down as he reached adulthood, however he's still as active as ever although more nuetral around strangers than he was when he was younger. He used to treat everyone as his best friend but as he matured, he seemed to feel like he needed permission from my husband or I before interacting with others.

Pongo our almost 4yro lab as a 8 week old puppy, was extremely sound sentisitive, submissive and shy however as an adult she is almost too outgoing, extremely tolorant of children, nuetral toward strange dogs, rarely startles at loud noises and in general the most easygoing of our dogs.

Hobbes our 2yro shep/lab mix has been our since he was 6-8 mthso, was described as a easy going big baby, however he can be reactive toward other dogs, shows dominant behavior or trys to to other dogs in the family,is the only one who barks when someone knocks on the door and tries to chase cats,bunnies, balls etc unless reminded not too. However he wouldn't even fetch as a pup, now is a fetch addict.

Balto our 10 month shih tzso at 8 weeks seemed to be very laidback and mellow, however as he grew, he turned into the energizier bunny with no signs of slowing down. He was also discribed as the pushiest pup in the litter by his breeder and has lived up to it as an adolescent. We are still working with him and waiting to see how he will change as he grows up. He is also extremely confident and also almost too friendly to strangers.

Although all of my dogs are high energy, some didn't show it until later so I'm not sure if it was temperment, enviroment or a combination of the two. For companions, they all fit the bill, however for carting sometimes a low prey drive isn't a bad thing. That being said, I'm extremely happy with my choices and wouldn't trade them for the world.

I think if you can see the sire/dam, you can know "what a puppy will grow up to be like". Temperament is absolutely heritable IMO.

Alot of excellent information here, and I thank you all for your input. A few more questions though.

What observation of traits in a litter of puppies determine which pup is an alpha male?

Isn't there also an alpha female? How does one determine which female is that?

Again - only my own experience - Sugar, my female Boerboel, was the one that pushed all the other pups off the teats, she was, according to the breeder, the pushy and bossy one, and because she/I keep in touch with all the other owners, (purely because we are all first time BB owners, and slightly nerdish about it!) it appears she is STILL the bossy bugger who THINKS its her in charge of the pack!

From Harry's litter, the most intense and no nonsense male at 8 weeks, is without a doubt, at this age at least, (23 months) very serious, prey driven and showing promising guarding qualities, him, Harry, and a female who the breeder kept, were the only black/brindles and appear to be more of a handful than the reds and yellows, whether or not that is of any relevance I don't know, but the yellows from both litters are more amiable, where the brindles are sharper and less laid back.