Lee, do those Filas live up to their reputation of "ojeriza," sharp aversion to strangers? I am intrigued by this reputation, because I WOULD like to have a dog that presented a threat to unknown strangers in my house but was a good "family dog." I have seen footage of a supposedly untrained 1 yr old Fila behaving very aggressively toward a decoy. Apparently they will bite a sleeve but prefer to bite bare skin! Pure defense drive, very little prey. If you have a reputable source of this kind of dog, please PM me or reply in-thread.
conwict,
Ojeriza is the defining characteristic of Filas IMHO. They are suspicious of anyone they don't know- which means anyone who doesn't live with them or visit often. It's easiest to get to know Filas as puppies- anyone within the dog's 'circle' as a puppy will be happily accepted for the rest of the dog's life, if they keep up the acquaintance. Filas have elephant-like memories- if they like you they don't forget you. And if they DON'T like someone they generally won't forget that, either.
No matter what the breed, there are individuals that fall on the extremes of whatever bell curve you're looking at. With Filas, the temperament bell curve can run from very hard on one end to almost none on the other. As is usually the case, the majority of the population falls somewhere in the middle. And as far as I can tell, temperament in Filas is genetic- it's nature, not nurture.
Any Fila breeder who respects the breed properly is going to breed for proper temperament as well as sound physical confirmation and proper 'type.' Those things are all critical to having a good sound Fila. One thing to know is that Filas are #15 on the OFA list for hip dysplasia, and a certain degree of that is genetic as well- good breeders try to only breed sound stock, but genetics is a roll of the dice no matter how careful a breeder tries to be.
The odds of getting a good Fila are a lot better if the puppy comes from good physically sound stock with proper temperaments. Good breeders will guarantee their puppies for physical soundness and proper temperament, and will stand by that guarantee.
Proper Filas don't need to be attack trained, nor do they need bite work. They will protect from pure instinct, and I have seen them begin to show protective instincts as young as two to three months. Most will not come into their proper temperament until they are about eight months up to a year old however. That's often the point where people who didn't do enough homework before getting a Fila puppy panic when the dog takes out the storm door going after the mailman or has a fit when dear old Aunt Mildred that you haven't seen in four years comes to visit for the first time. Unfortunately for those dogs, they often have to be re-homed at that point- a wrenching experience for a Fila, one that no person of conscience would ever inflict on such a dog.
I have had dogs all my life. So has my DW. Neither of us have ever seen a breed that gets so attached to its people. Filas love you like no other breed. And they will literally die to protect you. And they will die if you don't love them back, literally. Filas are not meant to be 'yard dogs.' They are meant to be part of the family.
For anyone who thinks they want a Fila- do your homework! This is a major decision, not one to be taken lightly or based on misconceptions. Know what you are getting into. Talk to breeders. Explore the breed association websites. Read the available literature. Go to ARBA/FBA/FBCA shows. Go to 'working weekends.' Meet people who are owned by Filas and talk to them. Watch temperament tests and high-in-trials so you can see these dogs at work.
http://www.arba.org/
http://www.arba.org/FilaBS.htm
http://www.filabrasilassn.com/
http://www.thefbca.com/
http://www.fila-brasileiro.org/
hth,
lpl