Cant' add much to what Jack just said, and I agree with him. I've only recently (last 2-3 years) seriously become more focused and cut the BS from what I thought I knew and what I actually do know. With that being said, I speak from new spawned experience that he's exactly right. Picking from a family, old and established as his became, or from one like mine, that is relatively newer, the more you KNOW FOR A FACT about certain dogs in that family, especially from birth to maturity, the easier it is to pick the "good ones" from that family.

I will add however, for an different perspective, that picking a pup, from a litter of a family I am not familiar with would of course, be extremely different. I would pick a sharp acting individual with a keen eye, fluid movement and great structure. Crap, what else could I pick? I don't know the line right?

I agree to an extent on not knowing how they will turn out, but then again, knowing more about my own dogs, I do not by into most people's notion that "how they act as puppies don't mean shit". It does mean something. I've recently had some young pups, 11 weeks old, that could bite like I've never seen before at that age. It was unbelievable. However it was not a shock, as they come from two parents who both were 8-9 mouths on a scale of 1-10 and both of them come from two - not one, but TWO parents who could also bite.

I remember once Jack saying something about watching his dogs eat, as pups and how they ate and used their mouths. I've picked that up and have used that for about 3 years now and it's holding true. I feed raw, so these pups (8-9 weeks) that can bust up thigh bones from a chicken, do, most times, present a harder adult mouth than those who have to chew and chew and chew all day to get anywhere.

Food for thought