Hi all! I'm getting a working line male GSD pup in mid-december, from Kraftwerk. I have second pick out of a litter that includes 5 males...being second on the list I'll have 4 to choose from. The parents are (if it's relevant at all):
father:V-Ursus aus dem Furstentum Lippe SchH3-V, KKL1
mother:Newa von der Salztal-Hohe SchH3, KKL2

Temperament of the dog is more important to me than the looks, although I'm sure they'll all be gorgeous. My question is that since we are required to make our pick while the pup is between 5 and 6 weeks old (not delivered until 8 weeks), is there anyway for the breeder to really have an idea of whether the pup is likely to have a hard or soft or more of a mid-range type temperament at that age? Or is that too young to tell?

Many thanks!

A temnperement test takes longer than that. I 'm sorry but your pup from 5 weeks to 12 week changes a lot.
Example: Our litter, one of the pups at 7 weeks was a bit shy is now the social butterfly, the pup that was very outgoing and loved to play with her sibbling showed no dominance is now very dog agressive and is not very social. Of couse you have to take in consideration the environment it goes into and how much it is being socialized but for sure I could not have predicted the outcome of those puppies at 5 or 6 weeks , I would have been wrong! What ever puppy you end up with start him/her on a good foundation to be a well rounded dog. Maybe Ed can help you on this better than I , but I am speaking out of my own experience on this issue cause everytime I see those pups now 11 months old, I am amazed at their out come.Just plan a good program for this pup , it all depends what you want to do with him too.Good luck, getting a puppy is exciting, I have working line as well and I have beauty and great working abilities with them, you can have both with the working line these days. Be excited!

Amber,
Do a search on this site for this type of testing. Depending on what you might want to do with your dog. I would also recommend that you let your breeder know what your goals are for this dog, family pet, working dog or what ever else may be your goals for the dog. Also when working with the breeder I would let them know your family status and how much inter-action other members of your family will have with this dog. 6 weeks is when many breeders will perform this testing, are you going to get to go and view the dog before you make your selection. There is a lot of information on this site about testing and when it should and can be done. So do a serach and you may find more information that you wanted... LOL Good luck with your new little man, I know that my wife and I love our new well not so new now at 8 months but what a little handful. Make sure to let the breeder know what you want from your dog and they are generally a big help in the selection process.

General recommenation get Ed's DVD either your pup 8 weeks to 8 months or Raising a working Puppy. I have them both and they are great.

Thanks! I do have the videos 8 weeks to 8 months and basic obedience. I did search some (!!) of the temperament testing threads and you're right---there are a lot! I knew that temperament testing was done later than 5 weeks, I just wasn't sure if there were "signs" even earlier than that.
Do the temperaments of the parents have much to do with it? I heard that how the bitch behaved around the pups could influence them. Any truth to that? Anyone familiar with the parents?

You guys are amazing, really amazing. What a huge help you've been already and I just got here! Thanks!