What should you look out for when veiwing a litter of pups?
How will i know which one has the best temperment?

karen.

I'm not an expert on dobermann pups myself, but when I went with my sister to choose her brown and tan puppy Chloe, we got to see both her mum and dad, and a bitch from the previous litter.  This gave us a good indicator of the quality of the puppies and showed what a lovely temperament they were.  As for all pups, check there's no over bite, and that they don't have weepy eyes, or a poor coat.  These are all signs for a healthy pup.
When it came to choosing the puppy with the best temperament, this is impossible to tell at this early stage.  But we went for the puppy who came up to us first and seemed really friendly, and playful, even at 4 weeks old! 
Make sure the puppies have had the relevant health checks for the breed too.
Hope this helps!

Hi Karen

It is impossible to know which one has the best "temperament" as this means so many different things to different people.

If the owners have any others there then you will probably be able to see some or all of them and they should be relaxed with you once the owners have let you in.  Don't expect adults to be demanding of attention from you, some will and some won't but it is part of their character to be a little stand-offiish with strangers and not a fault.  If the dam stands well back from you with ears back and tail between her legs this generally indicates nervousness and can be transmitted to pups, if the dam growls at you whilst she has pups don't take this as aggressiveness - some bitches can be very protective of their pups.

The chances are that the puppies you see are being fed four times a day, intersperced with frantic play and a lot of sleep, don't discount the pup that is still asleep when the rest are playing - it could have had more to eat than the others and be sleeping it off or have started playing first.  Try to see them more than once or stay as long as the breeder can put up with you so you see them as much as possible.

The area around the pups should be clean - I don't mean spotless as pups poo and then generally walk though it trailing it everywhere but there should not be a lot of mess (or liquid mess that has come out of a pup and across the floor at top speed although this can happen after worming so if you see it happen then ask when they were last wormed).

Dobe pups should have loose coats as if they are too big for them, clear eyes and come up to you - if not immediately within a few minutes when they are used to your presence.  Toenails should be short - breeders should trim them every week at the least.

Ideally both parents should be hip, eye and vWD tested but this rarely happens so the absolute minimum you require is that one parent has been vWD tested and is Clear.

Why not register (its free) then you can ask more questions as they occur to you.