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Fila/Pit mix owner question

A

Arubandog

New Member
Hello, I have a 7.5 Month old Fila/Pit mix, Damon. A mix that has caused some controversy at a few dog forums.
Damon is doing great, his temperament so far is turning out to be just as I was hoping. Not as friendly towards strangers as your average pitbull. But very tolerant and even friendly once he knows I'm ok with the particular visitors.
But still, he's only a pup and I treat all situations with his genes in mind.
Now I have read a post, I think on this forum, where a Fila's temperament changed from friendly towards strangers to typically Fila in a timespan of literally one day.

Is this sudden change in temperament common in Fila's or would you say normally this change is gradually and/or already visible in young pups?
 
M

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard~ Your pup is very handsome, love his colors! I'm sure the Fila owners will post a reply to your question about temperament.
 
angelbears

angelbears

Well-Known Member
My Fila, even as a 9 week old pup didn't like people but I could and did take him around people. I think it was around 9 months, someone tried to pet him and Cane grabbed his hand and spit it out. At this point we stopped all contact from strangers. It seemed like he went from not liking people to hating people overnight.

He always made it clear he didn't like people but at about 9 months they could no longer even get close to him.
 
Tubarao'smom

Tubarao'smom

Well-Known Member
I don't think the change literally happens overnight but it sure does seem that way. Tubarao was a lover of all although he preferred my family however, once he hit a magical age I had a friend over that had not seen him in awhile and called tubarao in and he was growling like crazy
 
CeeCee

CeeCee

Well-Known Member
Sorry, I've got nothing on temperament changes, I just wanted to say that is one good looking pup you have there. His colors are stunning!
 
mountainfila

mountainfila

Well-Known Member
Not a mix i like to see as it would be so unpredictable in temp, its not a matter of "if" he will bite someone but a matter of "when". I would not let my guard down for a second when you have people around, you already said he doesnt like people so if i were you i would invest in a basket type muzzle and have him wear it when he is around people. Also you dont need people to touch the dog to be socialized , you just need to start taking him out and about to different places to get him used to the world around him and he can see people walking by, if people stop and want to pet him, tell them no he's nervous and may bite be blunt and the number one thing you can do is obedience train him, so he listens to you and behaves while out in public or at home, good luck.
 
B

Bh-k9

Well-Known Member
Do you know what line of pitbull he is?

Working,show,game?


Just out of curiosity what was the reasoning behind the breeding or was it an accident.


If you are working this dog you might/ should have a good working dog in you just wanted a family pet you have a walking ticking time bomb and please don't take that the wrong way I'm just telling you what hopefully you already know
 
DennasMom

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
I'm just going to chime in on the colors, too... what a handsome dog! Stunning brindle!

Sounds like you know what you have and are ready for it. I think getting him used to a muzzle is a good idea - even if he's always fine around strangers, it can help people (i.e. at the vet) relax around him, so he doesn't feel their anxiety as a reason to go 'on guard' himself.

Denna's a brindle EM, and just her size and colors frighten some people (they always assume she's male)... and she LOVES everybody, still... some people cross the street to avoid us anyway. Their loss.
 
Siloh

Siloh

Well-Known Member
I don't know a lot about filas past their stranger aggression, but I'd say since pits can often exhibit DA seemingly out of nowhere and filas hate unfamiliar creatures, it's likely he will be dog aggressive. But he is sooooo pretty.


"Nothing is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."
Hamlet Prince of Denmark
 
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