I wouldn't take a 4 week old puppy away from its mother and litter mates unless there was no choice. Puppies aren't really ready to begin the weaning process until about 3 - 5 weeks of age. And ideally it would be a gradual transition from mother's milk to formula to soft food to solids.
Rushing the weaning process can cause digestive, nutritional and immune problems. So please, contact your vet to find out exactly what you should be feeding your puppy at his stage of development.
Puppies also learn social skills during their time with mom and sibs--things like bite inhibition and how to play with peers. Cutting this time short can make training more of a challenge and can give rise to behavioral issues that you will then need to address as they become apparent.
That said, we all know that sometimes puppies are orphaned or end up in a shelter at a very early age and they still turn out to be wonderful companions. The thing is, whenever it's an option, puppies should stay with the litter long enough to be fully weaned AND to learn those important elementary social skills.
I know that many breeders push puppies out the door (for economic reasons) at six weeks. But, eight weeks is really more optimal.
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