Why would anyone want a Fila???

Filas are different from any other breed in that it's CORRECT temperament for them to absolutely hate strangers and be aggressive towards them. No matter how much socialization you do, they will detest strangers

Right. Jaime said that if a judge can touch the dog, at a show, it's an auto DQ.

That is an aggressive dog.

I wouldn't have one, personally, because I have enough of an issue with owning two terrier bitches. I've had my heart set on a therapy dog since I learned about them, and haven't gotten one suitable, yet.

Perhaps this is just me being an old coot again.  But when I think about the type of person MOST likely to want this breed, I think of the young gangster types, or wannabes who take a perfectly good pup and teach it to be aggressive, who put those ridiculous spiked collars on their dogs to make them "look tough" and then walk them on huge fat chains.  Image is everything.  Is this kind of person likely to follow the laws?
 

ORIGINAL: sheprano

They are called a Fila Brasileiro to be exact.
Why on god's green earth would you blame a dog that was bred by humans to be this way? Centuries ago when the world was much more rural and differnet then it was today, these dogs were admired by their couragesness, loyalty, and determination. They are to be respected for the service they have given to humans WHO MADE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!
If you were a woman in the counrty side and your husband left you with your kids and went to battle that dog would be your best friend, he would guard you with his life and die happily knowing he protected you and your family. I only wish humans had as much loyalty, courage, and honor as these dogs do!
Now that we live in a differnt day and age where their service isnt needed are we supposed to shun them? No the responsible thing would be to try and cleanse the line instead of exterminating them. The responsible thing would be to recognize how humans think they can play GOD and breed something to be made this way and then discard them because they are deemed vicious.

 
I know what the full breed name is...... Also, I think you got the wrong idea from my  posts. My issue with the breed is that breeders are NOT trying to breed a less aggressive dog. In this day and age where people are living in closer and closer quarters I just don't think it's ethical to breed a dog with such a high level of aggression on purpose.

ORIGINAL: Luvntzus

My issue with the breed is that breeders are NOT trying to breed a less aggressive dog.

Actually, some breeders are trying to breed a less aggressive doghttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/filabrasileiro.htm

However, more and more breeders such as Harley Acre Filas are toning the breed down, even the breeders in Brazil are breeding a more tame Fila. It is said that the original Filas would let the farm workers onto the property and so, the original Filas were on the milder side.

The owner of Harley Acre Filas states "In the years to come I think it will be normal to hear of the breed being more open to strangers. I myself have both temperaments and the harsher temp dogs go nowhere and do nothing. What kind of life is that for a dog ? My tamer dogs will not attack (unless taught to) but he will scare the living daylights out of intruders and nobody will ever enter your property unless you ok it. No matter how much you socialize them they will always be wary of strangers. The tamer Fila is not mean and vicious unless you make them that way. Your Fila just wants to make sure that his family members are never in harms way and he is always on guard. If you choose a tamer Fila, when you get your Fila as a pup you have to decide then just how much you want to socialize him. If you socialize him at an early age by taking him around strangers it will be easier to handle him when strangers are present. If you choose not to socialize him you must be aware that no longer will the next door neighbor be able to just walk right in."

There's a Fila owner who posted in this threadhttp://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=86883

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

Filas are different from any other breed in that it's CORRECT temperament for them to absolutely hate strangers and be aggressive towards them. No matter how much socialization you do, they will detest strangers

Right. Jaime said that if a judge can touch the dog, at a show, it's an auto DQ.

Actually, I don't think that is true, it's not listed as a DQ in the breed standard anywayhttp://www.filabrasilassn.com/breed_standard.shtml I just don't think the judge is required to be able to touch the dog.

The Fila association temperament test is outlined in that link as well.

Thanks for the link! I'll definitely check it out.
 
It really seems to me though that most breeders are not trying to modify the Fila's temperament....
 
Here's an excerpt:

the Fila is also among the "Do Not Touch" breeds in the ARBA [American Rare breeds Assoc.] registry, in that judges only LOOK at the dogs, they do not approach or handle them -

And then taken directly from the breed standard of the Fila Brasileiro Association

TEST OF TEMPERAMENT
This is compulsory requirement for all individuals (after 12 months) in order to obtain a registered championship title.
All champions must have a certificate of approval at the temperament test. This type of test is made at all specialty shows. It is optional at general shows, up to the judge's will, providing it is public and takes place outside of the show ring.
The trial includes:
Attack with a stick. The dog is supposed to attack in front of the handler, without being coached, and the exhibitor or handler will remain in his position. It is forbidden to touch or to beat the animal.
Shooting test. There will be blanks fired at a distance of five meters from the dog. The dog should express attention, show self-confidence and self-assurance.
During all performances in the ring, the judge will analyze the behavior and temperament of the entrant, paying attention to his expression. During the temperament test the following should be observed:
• The dislike of the animal to strangers.
• The self-assurance, courage, determination, and braveness of each dog.

This is an excerpt as well

BEHAVIOR TOWARD STRANGERS

Objective is to determine the dog's reaction to noise and measure its alertness and curiosity.
Neutral Stranger - A stranger passes the dog and handler, ignoring both.
Friendly Stranger - A stranger approaches the dog and handler, speaks to handler, shakes handler's hand, and leaves. The stranger is not required to touch dog.

Apparently there are two completely different "camps" of people in Filas. The diehard ones that want to maintain a very hard temperament and those that are working to mellow it. I hope more people join the second group....

I honestly think Filas are a great breed, or at least they would be for my lifestyle. I am not a really social person, so I would not need a totally social dog. From what Ive read, a Fila will not allow a stranger in the house, unless you say so. SO I could bring over a long lost aunt and as long as I say its ok for her to be over, the dog would be fine.
 
But on another thing, Filas (thank god) will never be such a popular breed as say, a Pit BUll. They are so rare that MOST breeders are very responsible because they know the temperment of the breed and will not let it go to just anyone that has the cash. Now you will get one or two breeders that are slightly irresponsible and dont require the spay/neuter of all their pet dogs and thats where the bad cycle starts off.
 
But all in all I dont think they are a bad breed, and if someone owns a Fila there is nothing wrong with the person, different people have different lifestyles and what may be the perfect dog for one person, may not be the ideal dog for the other.
 
I'd own a well bred Fila in a heartbeat

I assume this is the Fila Brasileiro we're talking about here?  I know someone who owns one and I've seen her at the vet office where I work.  The person who owns Lexi (the dog) comes from a country somewhere overseas, I forget which one, but her uncle runs a kennel there and breeds them.  He gave them one of the puppies and they had her shipped over here from overseas.  The family loves her to death, and as I said I've seen her at the vet and I didn't think she was aggressive at all.  She was so scared, standing there shivering, but she had not even the slightest hint of aggression in her face.  I don't know if they muzzled her or not, but from what I saw she seemed to be fine.  She was certainly a gorgeous dog!  Beautiful brindle coat...

ORIGINAL: LizzieCollie

I honestly think Filas are a great breed, or at least they would be for my lifestyle. I am not a really social person, so I would not need a totally social dog. From what Ive read, a Fila will not allow a stranger in the house, unless you say so. SO I could bring over a long lost aunt and as long as I say its ok for her to be over, the dog would be fine.

 
From what I've read, that's NOT the case... no matter if you welcome the stranger in the house or not, if it's not someone the dog spent a lot of time growing up with, then the dog needs to be confined to a crate or outside for your company's safety. What you're describing is what I've heard about most guard breeds like the Bullmastiff, Doberman, etc. that if you accept the person in your home, they might be a little cautious but will be okay.
 
Here's an excerpt:
 
The aggression towards strangers can be different from what one is use to. The Fila must be under control at any time a person "other than a member of the family enters the home" (or whatever he deems to be his territory!). Even at shows or for a walk in the park, an unexpected or sudden approach to him (or his owner) may be seen as a threat and acted upon as such. You HAVE to always be aware of what is going on around you.
 
...The Fila can be trained to accept friendly strangers away from their home, NO one is allowed to handle our Filas at 'their' home.
 
That means that if your long lost aunt goes to hug you, there's a good chance the Fila will attack her.

ORIGINAL: glenmar

Perhaps this is just me being an old coot again.  But when I think about the type of person MOST likely to want this breed, I think of the young gangster types, or wannabes who take a perfectly good pup and teach it to be aggressive, who put those ridiculous spiked collars on their dogs to make them "look tough" and then walk them on huge fat chains.  Image is everything.  Is this kind of person likely to follow the laws?

That's what I was thinking too.  My client that I posted about earlier in this thread is kind-of "gansta" like. I know he takes decent care of his animals, but he really opened the business because he thought it would be "cool" to open a pet store with Filla/American Bulldog mixes and giant snakes and the sort.  You can imagine the kind of clientelle his business will collect.  I  shouldn't say this, but my company had a hard time accepting his credit application.  He had no credit, not even a bank account - ever. And he's 30 some years old with 3 children. 

ORIGINAL: glenmar

Perhaps this is just me being an old coot again.  But when I think about the type of person MOST likely to want this breed, I think of the young gangster types, or wannabes who take a perfectly good pup and teach it to be aggressive, who put those ridiculous spiked collars on their dogs to make them "look tough" and then walk them on huge fat chains.  Image is everything.  Is this kind of person likely to follow the laws?

Yup, and since I have a pit mix I must be a drug dealer, covered with tattoos that leaves my dog tied in the back yard with a logging chain, right?

I have a real issue with people that judge others based on their selection of dog breed

Have you ever heard the saying "There's a lid for every pot?"  Perhaps the person is NOT very social, but likes that type of dog and would like a good guard dog.  I, personally, can count on one hand how many visiters I've had in my apartment since I moved there over a year.  Some people have a great deal of land and never take their dogs out in public.

Personally, this would be too much dog for me, and I take my dog out in public too much, but as long as those that do own these dogs are responsible about them, who am I to judge?

I am less concerned about the dogs' proper temperment, and more concerned about breeders being extra watchful of where their pups are ending up.  The right home can properly manage these dogs.  Therefore, it is imparitive that they end up in such homes.  Otherwise, they will become overbred and will make a prime target for BSL.  My hope is that it never reaches that point.

There is a fila owner on here who I was discussing filas with in the breeds section.

Sorry, but owning Sally I have had someone ask me more than once why I would want to own one of "those dogs," in a not-so-nice way and frankly find the question offensive.

The are a number of breeds that I cannot IMAGINE why someone would want, but I would never share that wuth them.

Ummmm, where did I mention pitties?  I wasn't even THINKING about pitties, but rather rotties, dobies and shepherds or WD.

ORIGINAL: glenmar

Ummmm, where did I mention pitties?  I wasn't even THINKING about pitties, but rather rotties, dobies and shepherds or WD.

 
I used myself as an example, but it could pertain to any breed.