regardless of the breed i'm working with , I've always believe in the old adage that " the good ones shine early" ,personally i like early starters, obviously thats not to say they'll turn out any better than others but its nice to know you have one that will work, though of course you need the common sense to hold it back. i kept 3 out of a recent litter at 12 weeks old the most reserved male damaged the other two so severely, that they had to be pts, i'm wasnt very happy about losing two pups but i'm damned pleased to have him.