Fila Reputation

[BigMac]

I am really enjoying learning about all the Molosser breeds now that I finally have one (EM). I am quite curious about the Fila Brasileiro. Are they truely as stranger aggressive as I've read? Does anyone own one on this forum?

 

[Clark Kent]

I have owned a Fila before I got my English Mastiffs and their reputation is def no hype. From about 8 weeks old my Fila did not like strangers.

 

[BigMac]

I have owned a Fila before I got my English Mastiffs and their reputation is def no hype. From about 8 weeks old my Fila did not like strangers.

Were you ever concerned for your company?

 

[dogman#1]

I own filas and it is def no "hype", filas are no joke. If the Fila has proper temperament it will attck a stranger. If I have company the dogs get put out or crated, there is no other way.

 

[blu3br1ndle]

Wow

 

[dogman#1]

yep...wow! lol.

 

[BradA1878]

I don't have a Fila, tho I like the breed a lot. I do have Caucasian Ovcharka tho, which is a breed with a similar hype and temperament as the Fila.

Our adult Ovcharka are intolerant of strangers, which means they have to be put away when guests are over. In a way this makes them easy to manage as their response to strangers is very predictable. I'm sure a Fila is predictable in that way too.

When you own a real guardian breed (like these) you should have a place to put them where they are safe and secure. It's just part of owning them - like you wouldn't own a horse without a stable - you shouldn't keep a guardian breed without a kennel to secure them in.

 

[dogman#1]

Brad, too true...well worded.

 

[moose]

I don't have a Fila, tho I like the breed a lot. I do have Caucasian Ovcharka tho, which is a breed with a similar hype and temperament as the Fila.

Our adult Ovcharka are intolerant of strangers, which means they have to be put away when guests are over. In a way this makes them easy to manage as their response to strangers is very predictable. I'm sure a Fila is predictable in that way too.

When you own a real guardian breed (like these) you should have a place to put them where they are safe and secure. It's just part of owning them - like you wouldn't own a horse without a stable - you shouldn't keep a guardian breed without a kennel to secure them in.

Amen to that

 

[ElJayBee]

dogman#1, and any one else experienced with the breed, i am considering a possible fila purchase. i'm not 100% decided yet, but i'll tell you my situation and see what you think.

we are probably about to purchase a 65 acre tract of land on which, within the next 2 years, we will build a house once we get the land ready (it's wooded and undeveloped currently). the home site is about 300 yards or more off the road through woods and brush and you can't see it from the road. obviously, there won't be any fencing due to the size of the property, or at least, not that i can foresee. my husband and i are a bit on the reclusive side and don't ever have a lot of company, nor do we have children. we are really looking for a dog for serious property protection. i've had boerboels before, and they are great family dogs and very protective of their people, but not always so great at standing their ground when there's just property and no people to protect. I want to get a dog that I know will not let any intruders onto my property. period. i wanted to get your opinion on whether you think a fila would be appropriate for my situation, since you are so experienced with them?

also, i have APBTs that will need to be left alone by the property dog. are filas prone to dog aggression, in your experience? i don't need the fila to be buddies with other dogs necessarily, i just need it to leave the other dogs alone while it's on patrol when i'm not home.

as with all of the molosser breeds, it seems to be a growing trend to see animals that are fearful and/or lack confidence or drive. so i already know finding a good one isn't the easiest conquest in the world, but first i need to know if this is a breed is really should even consider for my particular situation. and i figured asking those with experience would be a great help.

thanks in advance for your knowledge on this.

 

[dogman#1]

hmmm, I am not a fan of a dog loose w/o a fence...filas arent necessarily known to roam far from home or their people but where is home? w/ no fences where is the boundary for the dog? Imagine if a person just happenes to walk down the road...evil things can happen. I suggest atleast a boundary fence around your immediate perimeter (the rest is optional), if this is not feasable you run the risk of your dog attacking an innocent person or getting run over by a car. now filas are not dog aggressive but usually are dominant, they will leave other dogs alone as long as the other dog does not get aggressive with them. APBT breeders often get filas to guard their "yard" and never have I heard of an "incident"....their yards are usually fenced...what ever your decision let me know how I can help.

 

[ElJayBee]

yeah, i think at the very least i will need to put a fence on the road-front part of the property. to the right part of our land is bit over 200 acres owned by someone who only uses it for hunting. to the left is a 120-acre tract only used for hunting as well. to the back of the property is a huge tract of unused land that is owned by a Boston oil company. there is one residential house on down the road a bit across from the front of the property that would be my main concern. our land is basically out in the middle of nowhere. i can probably run a barb-wire fence the whole front length of the property and partially down each side without too much trouble. my main problem with running a fence is that a lot of the land is unpassable, very dense growth. so i would have to clear it a bit for the fence row to be put in. but it could be done. something i will definitely need to consider if i do decide on getting a fila i guess. i just didn't know how prone to roaming they are since my experience with most other mastiff breeds has been that they stick close to the house. but, as you say, probably better safe than sorry. i would hate for someone to get hurt.

good to know that it's possible for the fila and the APBTs to co-exist without too much trouble. i guess if it became a problem i could fence off the area where the APBTs are kept, since they ARE dog-aggressive, unfortunately. but if the fila could learn to stay out of their chainspots it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

thanks so much for your reply. if you or anyone else have anything to add, i'm all ears.

the only other question i have concerns their behavior around livestock. i don't know how much prey-drive filas have in general concerning things like sheep, goats, chickens, or horses. perhaps you can shed some light on this as well?

 

[dogman#1]

i was thinking more along the lines of 6' barracade fencing or at least chainlink. maybe you can have a nice dog run and when people come over or when you cant watch him he could be in it...at night i like filas to come in because while a burglar can come in through windows most dogs cant...if the dog is already in the house then you are pretty safe. Filas were bred to be herding dogs that being said I only know 2 people that still use them or even work with them as herding dogs. That being said it has been my experience that filas have alot more defense drive than they have prey drive...I would say at least 80/20 some say closer to 90/10 (this is the reason why they are so hard to train for pp work, they act on instinct). Now that being said...I know some non cafib lines that have 0 defense drive and act more like retrievers than mastiffs, I personally have not heard of any issues with filas and livestock. I think filas would not be in existance if they kept killing their owners cows, goats and chickens, I know mine wouldnt be, lol.

 

[TxHorseMom]

This is what I am thinking. Maybe it will work for you. We have 35 acres which is fenced and crossfenced for our horses. It currently mostly is barbed wire, but we are changing to wood. Neither one will keep a dog in or out. But our house is about 500' off the road so we have a fenced in back "yard" that is aprox 180' x 100' and a front "yard" that is about 60' x 100' these two "yards" surround the house. They are made of "no climb" horse fencing. Similar to cyclone fencing. That way, we can let the dogs out the front or back (or both as we curently have 4 dogs) they have plenty of room to run and play and the livestock can't get too near the house. We also periodically walk the fence lines with the dogs to check the fencing, especially after a storm, to see if a tree fell on it or something, and we teach our dogs the "other" boarder of our home. We start them off on leash, then as they can be trusted to listen off leash, we will take them with us off leash. For the most part, if a dog "gets out" of one of the yards, they don't leave our property. (my son's dog is a bad fence climber so she gets out occasionally)( we're working on that though)

 

[Dogue]

Dogman#1,
You have a lot of knowledge on Filas. I love filas and plan on getting a male in a couple of years. I love my female dogue; she's a good gaurd but not as aloof to strangers as I'd like. I'm also dissapointed in how watered down (I apologize for offending some of you guys) the breed has become. I wish breeders focused on they're original purpose: guarding. And I see it only getting worse now that they're recognized by the AKC. So here's my question? Why are some of the non cafib Filas losing their "ojeriza"? Thanks!

 

[dogman#1]

Hey Dogue, do your research and when you are ready for one I can help you pick out a good one that you will be happy with. Thanks but I don't know if I have "alot " of knowledge but I do have some, lol. I agree with you...the AKC has the "anti Midas touch" everything that they touch turns to crap. I am quite content with the AKC keeping their gready mits off of my breed of choice. now about your question... first off fila breeders will say that "Ojeriza is the first thing to go" it is one of the first things I heard when I got into the breed. Ojeriza, like any other trait is genetic. As a breeder you have to try to find good dogs that complement each other in all aspects...sometimes though certain traits dont "lock in" like one would hope...you can do all the research and pedigree studying in the world but still end up with something contrary to what you expected. so with that said you may end up with a pup or 2 w/o ojeriza or proper temp in a litter or a whole litter w/o...Now this can even happen with CAFIB dogs but i have never heard of a whole cafib litter w/o proper temp or ojeriza...the non CAFIB dogs...that is a different story. There are quite a few reasons why their dogs are lacking or are inconsistent with temp and/or ojeriza (among many other things). The most important and flagrantly obvious is the mixed breeding...cant cross a english mastiff w/ a basset hound and get a fila. then come the other reasons which are greed,cant sell a dog to the general public that wants to kill everyone so I will breed against that trait to make some $$$. then you have the people that get bad dogs to begin with and breed them together, "why not, they got papers" or "how could we deny her motherhood" or "funk that! were gonna make a killing, I heard someone selling their filas for $2500"... CAFIB puts an end to that BS...bring one of those poorly bred muts to a cafib show and you will leave with your tail between your legs with the embarrassment of knowing you got duped into paying too much for a wannabe fila that wont defend you. I hear it all the time.."why should I get a dog from xwz for 1200 when I can get one from this guy on craigslist for 300 w/ papers". I always tell people...cheap is expensive..they only listen after their dog breaks down before 1 yr old...pitty. sorry for going on a rant but this is what pisses me off the most about the non cafib breeders they will breed anything, say anything to make a sale.

 

[Dogue]

Dogman#1,
You're awesome! No rant at all! I'm going to do some research on upcoming CAFIB shows in southern california. I want to learn as much as I can.

 

[TxHorseMom]

Stupid question.........what is ojeriza?

 

[dogman#1]

dogue.. I can tell you there arent any planned... the next one is in October in North Carolina and I think myself and another breeder might plan another for next year either in NY or Philly. There are few Filas in the United States and even fewer CAFIB filas, in the U.S people want a 200lb slobbering mess that cant run to the front door let alone defend them properly so finding enough shows is rough.

txhorsemom, ojeriza is the term given to the trait that filas are famous and infamous for, lol. Pretty much it is a hatred of strangers.....non CAFIB people call it aloofness, lol. People, an afghan hound is aloof a fila is full on protection, there is a difference. The non Cafib people consider it aloof because their dogs may not have it, I dont want people to think that none of the non cafib dogs have ojeriza, they do but it is inconsistent in their sect. Ojeriza can be seen fairly early on with filas pups, females tend to come in earlier imo and certain bloodlines are slower to mature than others. ojeriza usually starts off as leariness or aloofness then turns to intolerance over time as the dog gains confidence in itself.

 

[Dogue]

Dogman#1,
I was up all night doing research and was bummed to see no CAFIB shows in southern california. I also had a hard time reading porteguse on their web page, lol. I know there's an English link but couldn't find it.
I also I couldn't believe the b...s... and panic coming out of some of the non CAFIB breeders. There's one breeder (very popular) in southern california with a webpage criticizing the CAFIB; they seem worried. I then went to a Fila forum and couldn't believe the amount of dissappointed people in southern california that bought dogs from this breeder. Some of the dogs died from illnes others were just 200 lb+ dogs that didn't perform. They all got replacements and some are still waiting.