Advice Please

[vrod]

I, inadvertantly, have become the owner of a fila/english mastiff cross. Tl;dr on how this occurred is that I lost my english mastiff to lymphoma a few months ago and, recently, in a bid to "fix" me, my husband adopted a 3 year old mastiff/bloodhound mix from the shelter. I took her to Petsmart earlier this week and noticed she would shy away from anyone's touch. She's not shy at all at home. I made an appointment with my vet to rule out medical conditions and went to gather up the paperwork from the shelter. The shelter must have mistakenly put a copy of her original intake records with my stuff because I could now see that Katie was turned in as a fila/english mix and that based on her birthday, she just turned 8 months old. Curiosity set in and researching on the net has provided me with the little tidbit that if we don't get this right, we are in deep crap. I've been pouring over the internet looking for the best answers on how to raise her. The only information I can find in regards to this mix is breeders who tout them as the second coming and with no mention of temperment. I would hardly take advise from a byb. I ran across this forum and thought that perhaps I could get some good advise here. Was I prepared for this? No. Am I committed to making it work? Absolutely. Please don't suggest that I take her back to the shelter. I don't dump family members.

 

[ruby55]

Oh boy; you're gonna have fun with this one! And I'm so tickled to see "I don't dump family members." I'm pretty sure no one is going to suggest that.
I don't have any advice for you; I live with lazy bullmastiffs. But there are some serious fila owners/lovers on this site; wait for it.
BTW welcome; and pics are always a plus.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Welcome. Ditto what Ruby says, there are lots of Fila owners here that will be very happy to help guide you. From my understanding a Fila is like no other, they are amazing yes but very much a breed to be taken seriously. Plain and simple they don't 'do' people outside of their immediate family. That means visitors, friends, family will have to let you know they are coming BEFORE knocking on the door so you can secure your Fila and safeguard your visitors. I wish I could be in a position to give a Fila a home, they take a pretty special and understanding owner who is committed to knowing the breed and loving and accepting them for what they are. Thanks for adopting!

 

[LizB]

Welcome to the forum, and I'll echo what was said above. Also, this is one lucky pup to have found her way to you! There are plenty of people who would not have bothered to investigate her unique behavior, would not have considered a possible medical condition being responsible, or done the research. Kudos to you.

Also, don't consider yourself in potential "deep crap," but its just that you'll have to modify your lifestyle and you'll enjoy your dog anyway! She is, after all, half EM, and you already have big dog experience. This forum is a marvelous resource for Fila owners.

 

[chuckorlando]

AAAHHH, the old mastiff hound mix. ahahahahahaha. Thats my go to when I dont want you knowing I have a Fila......

Fila's are hard to own simply because they dont do strangers and often dont do anything strange that moves. They are loyal to family and dont like all the way to wants to kill others. But only because they think that strange thing is a threat to you. So anyone you wih to be in the dogs life needs to be introduced now and very very often. Dont let people pet the dog. Even weak fila's dont like being touched most times and theres a good chance they will bite. Socialize as much as you can in as many places and new sights and sounds as you can. When you think thats enough, do it 10x more. ahahahaha. Dont let people near enough to the dog to get bitten, muzzle, harness with a handle and a collar and leash. You may very well get to a point where being in public becomes a challenge. You then need to adjust to min strangers. High fence or never off lead. Crate train or be ready to leash that bitch everytime anyone is around. Or at least a room to put them in

 

[angelbears]

Well, what should I do first? Scare the crap out of you or tell you that more than likely this will be the best dog you have ever owned. Filas are special, they bond very deeply with their owners. However, they hate strangers, if you do more reading on the Fila this is called ojeriza. I agree 100% with Chuck. When you own a Fila you have to always understand that their top priority in life is to protect their family. Which means that they will at times make up their own mind as to what a threat is. Meaning that if someone other than their family makes a quick move, gesture, knocks on their door, walks down their street, they make take it upon themselves to take action. You always have to be aware of the dogs surroundings.

Also, at 8 months, your pup has not come into it's full temperament. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing just how hard it's temperament is going to be. More than likely "You ain't seen nothing, yet!". Sounds like all you have seen is ojeriza. I would expect at some point if/when strangers are around she will lunge or at the very least pull to try and get at someone. Never be lax because you just never know.

If you pup has a strong Fila instinct you can not train that out of her, you have to learn to live with it.

Now for the good part. There is an old saying in Portuguese, "Faithful as a Fila" and that is what you get with your girl. She will love you and anybody that she lives with, with an undying devotion. There is another saying that we heard when we first got our boy, "you can cut their leg off with a butter knife". Once your Fila has bonded with you and this may take a couple of months, she should never show aggression towards her family. Other than clipping Cane's nails I can do anything to him. I have applied medicine that burned like hell, I have shoved pills down his throat and he has never once acted like he was going to bite me.

Now, that is not to say that in the teenage stage, they won't try to see what they can get away with. Just like every other breed. You have to be, "firm but gentle" when dealing with your Fila. They can get their feelings very easily.

Welcome to this breed. We will be here to try to answer any questions you have. Please keep us posted on your girl and we would love to see some pics.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Oh boy. Well, listen to Chuck, and Angelbears, and the other Fila owners on here. They know what they're talking about.

You're not the first to end up with a dog who's been labeled a "mastiff/hound" cross, and I'm sure you won't be the last.

I'm delighted to see that you're committed to making it work, but you also need to be aware that handling a Fila requires some fairly major adjustments in how you handle and think about dogs. Not just conciously, but unconciously. And not just you personally, but every person who lives in your household and every person who enters your household. To some degree all Fila's are stranger aggressive. HOW stranger aggressive varies, but it means that by the time this dog is an adult taking him out in public may mean putting a muzzle on him. Having someone in your house or on your property may mean crating your dog the entire time they're there. That includes the friends of your children (if you have any). This will most likely be a dog who CANNOT be petted by "non-family", and who will react to percieved threat in an aggressive manor. And keep in mind that "family" is the people who live in the household ONLY, and has nothing to do with blood relation!

 

[angelbears]

Another thing to keep in mind is that most Filas cannot be boarded. Vacations are more than likely out of the question, unless a family member stays home with your pup. Or you heavily socialize your pup to someone that can come and take care of her. Sometimes this can be done and some dogs just will not accept anyone but the one's it lives with.

Ruth brought up a good point. If you have children, the friends of your children will not be the dogs friend and could be perceived as a threat. Especially if they are loud and running. Could be a dangerous situation. Easily solved by securely putting your pup up.

 

[Winterspring]

I'm a lot like you, having adopted a dog whose breed I didn't know. I had a trainer recently suggest, subtly, that I should have gotten rid of him as soon as I realized what I had. The dog is happily chewing a bone in the living room. The trainer will not be coming back. There are a large number of swear words (in different languages) that I would like to say here, but I'll spare your poor ears/eyes.

He's a handful. Mine is a year old, and a darling when it comes to us, but I've taken the advice here and I don't trust him with people he doesn't have living in his house. If you have other pets, as long as you establish them as part of the family, they seem to be safe, if nonconsentually played with. (He only wants to play with the cats. They're having none of this nonsense.) "The cat does not want to play" is a common sentence uttered around here.

His bark literally shakes the walls and I always know if there's something coming, but when I take a nap, he cuddles up with me.

I do not consider my dog, Taurus, "Aggressive". I consider him protective and potentially dangerous. All I can do is hope that I can socialize him enough that one day I will be able to have him out with me, muzzled. Every day is a learning experience with him.

The EM in her tosses a monkey wrench into things, of course. Don't know whether it'll mellow out the stronger instincts of a Fila, or if the Fila will override the more mellow nature of an EM. (If, of course, my understanding of EMs is correct.)

By the way, I am very sorry for your loss. It's hard losing a pet, and anyone that says that they aren't family members is a fool.
I truly hope your new baby will fit in perfectly.

I think they find us more than we find them.

 

[vrod]

I've had a similar dog in the past. She was an english mastiff (my first) that I took from a jackass because I felt awful for her. Once she had been in my home for 3 or 4 months, it became apparent that I was her one and only true love. If I left, she wondered the house until she was satisfied I wasn't there and then had nothing to do with anyone until I came home again. According to my husband at the time, she would lie with her head on my chest looking at me with loving eyes while I slept. We had to crate her, in a closed bedroom when we had guests because she would bite. She even tried to bite my husband once. It was Christmas Eve and I slapped him on the butt with a roll of Christmas paper on my way past. Later he came after me with his own roll and she went for him. I think a big difference that I'll see with Katie is that she won't get that "I'm going to tear you a new one look that mastiffs get." We didn't have her for as long as I would have liked. Her hard life prior to finding us took it's toll on her health. I do have children. My son is 18 and will be headed to the military in mid-August and my daughter is 8. Honestly, I don't like having guests over much. My main concern is for my son coming home on leave and for my mother.

 

[vrod]

Here she is.

 

[fila4me]

have your son do as much for her as possible now!!let him bond with her and maybe keep an article of his clothing that he literally takes off before he leaves.keep it in a plastic bag and bring it out a couple of times a week an let her smell it,do not wash it!!I did this years ago when my brother left for the Army. this way she can associate his scent when he returns.

when my brother would come home on leaves I would confiscate a new shirt or make him wear the original.when he first came home my Filas would bark at him until they got his scent and then watch out!!!!they were all over him and crying like little babies!!!!

I would have your mom around as often as possible for a while and they should be good after that.once someone has imprinted on a Fila,whether good or bad,it is forever!

 

[fila4me]

she is Adorable!!

 

[musicdeb]

Welcome aboard and you've come to the right place. Experience Fila owners will guide you through your journey.

 

[DennasMom]

Did the shelter really try to pass an 8 month old Fila as a 3 year old mastuff/bloodhound mix??
That's criminal!!

So glad she's part of your family, now!
This is a great place for support!

 

[Winterspring]

People seem to think mine is a Lab mix. I let them think that if I don't know/trust them. So far, I haven't brought him too close to people I don't know or trust. For now, until he gets too huge to pass him off as a Lab mix, he's a Lab-Hound or when he gets bigger, a Hound mutt.

But I agree with Denna's Mom. While it's easy to make mistakes with a Fila or Fila cross (I thought mine was part Lab when I saw the pic of him on craigslist), that's a pretty dangerous mistake to make. They should have been more careful.

Still, I want to nom your dog's ears SO badly. So cute she's making my eye twitch!!!

 

[vrod]

I suspect that someone at the shelter knew what a fila was and balked at putting on the card, fearing it would be a death sentence for her. It's a theory that gives me some peace in terms of the intent behind the action. She's, definitely, my girl. I can't move without her being right behind me. In fact, she's curled up on the sofa right next to me right now.

 

[musicdeb]

I suspect that someone at the shelter knew what a fila was and balked at putting on the card, fearing it would be a death sentence for her.

WOW! I'm speechless

 

[CeeCee]

Congratulations on your new girl! She is so lucky to have found such a committed family. She is just precious! I'm happy you found this forum, I think you'll be thrilled with the support and guidance you will get there.

 

[ruthcatrin]

I suspect that someone at the shelter knew what a fila was and balked at putting on the card, fearing it would be a death sentence for her.

Honestly that doesn't help much IMO. Infact if someone did it deliberetly its damn near criminal. Someone getting a Fila, and not knowing what it was, or doing their research, could very well end up with a dog who seriously mauls or kills a child because they didn't know enough to keep strangers away from the dog.