What kind of Fila do you Have?

[Paul]

I have seen a lot of Fila's. I visited some well known breeders and was shocked and dissapointed. What my point is...what kind of Fila do you have? Can you walk into a vet's office and hand the leash off to a total stranger? I have seen this first hand. Just curious what kind of Fila people on this forum have. What are your puppies like with strangers? When do they start to show themselves as Fila? With all the breeding for looks and size I wonder if that same passion is for the correct Temp of the Fila? These dogs are not the type that live long lives. What time you do get with them is special. Living with a Fila of true temp as compared to a Fila that is more like an ordinary dog. Well, that is not the same as living with a real Fila.

[angelbears]

Hand the leash off to somebody??? HELL NO! At 3mos he was growling at some people. At 6 months he was growling at most people. He is now almost 2 and it is easier to tell you who he doesn't growl at, me, Debra, his vet and a couple of vet techs. They are given baggies with fresh hearts and they don't handle him.

I am a weak handler and I'm sure that has some to do with it.

Not that I know the difference or even care but Cane is FCI not Cafib.

[Paul]

Our abilities to train are not at question here. You obviously have a good handle on your Fila. I would like to hear more? Is Cane gentle with you and your family? If he feels the need to show himself does he try and drag you on leash? Did your Fila need a lot of training to be easy to handle? When I say easy it is not a knock on his Temp. Your Cane seems to be a good Fila and that is what you get when you get a Real Fila. That Fila spirit with the desire to be a family dog......So, is Cane gentle with you and your family?

[filaman73]

Though I hear plenty of negative talk regarding Harley Acre Filas and CBKC dogs... I have a dog from there that is truly a fila of correct type and temp. In my search for a fila I contacted a lot of different breeders and visited a few kennels and like the above I was disappointed by what I was seeing! I have 2 female filas and both have never let a stranger touch them, loves their family unconditionally, always on duty, and always trying to please. If a stranger tries to come near depending on how they walk up to me my dogs will growl and if you stare at them to long they will lunge at you... thinking that you're challenging them! The reason I got the fila was for family, security and a hunting companion and they do that by nature!
Love them and though some of you may not like RB... I think my dogs are the shxt!!!

[GateKeeper]

It's not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with her dogs, (other than questions raised by this sort of thing ... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...56946507686647 ) it's the way she has conducted herself on the forums and boards over the years, so much so that there are people who wouldn't touch a dog from her if it was plated in gold. Who needs the drama?

[filaman73]

I have read that article and though I can't speak for her... I think with most things people are very competitive and when it comes to breeding dogs, showing dogs it can be just as competitive as 2 football teams playing or 2 boxers squaring off! I try my best to stay away from all that because in the end it doesn't help the dogs. Things that are most important to me are issues such as health, hips, temperament, whether a pup is inbred/line bred... those are issues that mean the most to me when it comes to raising a fila! Sometimes I think it all goes back to CAFIB vs. CBKC disagreements since a lot of the arguments I've seen on here and on her site are based on that. Who has the better dogs... I've seen both types of dogs, some good and some bad... I say do your homework and go with the breeder that has health records, hip tests, and people who truly are concerned with the breed and not just a fast buck! Me, Myself I prefer a working dog over a show dog because I've been to dog shows and have seen a lot of show dogs that are just that show dogs... with some of the working ability bred down or out of it for looks sake!!!

[angelbears]

Paul,

I know you can never say never but Cane would never hurt us on purpose. Honestly, I don't think Cane would hurt anybody unless they tried to challange him. That is one of the reasons that I love him so much. He seems to know his power. He will explode on something and if it retreats or backs down he just gives it a warning. The first time he showed this he was about 10 months old. If people wanted to pet him and he seemed okay we would allow it. A guy had approached the truck said "dogs love me, he won't bite me"(famous last words!) I asked him to wait so that I could come around from the drivers side and make sure that Cane was okay with it. The idiot didn't wait, reached in and Cane grabbed his hand and spit it right back out. Cane did not move from his spot and just stared. The guy didn't even give me a chance to ask if he was okay, he was out of there in about 10 seconds. Some said that at 10 mos. he didn't have the balls to bite but I have seen it a couple of times now and I think that he doesn't have to go all balistic, just leave and he is okay with that.

[de la Luna]

Our abilities to train are not at question here. You obviously have a good handle on your Fila. I would like to hear more? Is Cane gentle with you and your family? If he feels the need to show himself does he try and drag you on leash? Did your Fila need a lot of training to be easy to handle? When I say easy it is not a knock on his Temp. Your Cane seems to be a good Fila and that is what you get when you get a Real Fila. That Fila spirit with the desire to be a family dog......So, is Cane gentle with you and your family?

Paul,
Let's see if I can share what I've had.

Good first: love, sit on your feet ALWAYS, never get bored and cruise out of eyeshot, you can almost hear a 'Host Of Heavenly Angles" sing when they catch you looking at them , a crushed 'You Don't Love Me Anymore' look when you voice a reprimand, this to the members of the household. This has been all my Filas except for two.

Bad Last: 1st was due to Parvo and an elevated temperature for the better part of a week, degenerated over a few months from growling and going after one daughter, to then include the same for the older. Since he then had to be crated in my room away from them when they were around. 2nd was due to bad genetics. In the beginning she was very tender and loving to the family at home, and was uncommonly receptive to most strangers. She did well when introduced to an assortment of other dogs. She was intelligent, obedient, and eager please. Her temperment was excessively soft. From the very beginning she would urinate in a startle/fear response. She frightened and shied away easily. She bared her teeth at shadows. Her PennHIP screening revealed poor hip quality. I'm not sure what how it relates, but she was a maniacal Coprophagia...and I mean bad/bad! Her stability deteriorated until she became a danger not only to the family but to herself.

The times I've heard of bad family experiences, I always wish I could be a fly on the wall. Hearing about it could be just a one sided version of what the real truth is.?!

"drag you on leash" and "training to be easy to handle" I would input those to be truly obedience in nature. In my whole life, I've owned 23 breeds. Filas are in the top three for smarts. But then again, I'm an old lady with learned experience. Maybe it was MY fault in my younger years that the kids didn't seem as smart

Best,

[angelbears]

Paul,

I'm sorry my replys are long winded. I'm not very good at writing my thoughts down, they can sometimes wander and they're not put together well.

Yes, Cane has and does pull and lunge when on his leash. I am getting a little more control. I'm not saying that Cane doesn't have a hard temp. but I do think that a better handler could control him alot better.

The biggest problem I have had is finding a trainer that knows how to train a fila. I asked on a couple of the fila boards, called around and couldn't find anybody that I felt confident in. So, I settled for a guy who mainly trained police dogs and was big in shutz. He is very well known in those circles. It was a waste of a lot of money! It was funny, in the beginning he was telling us that only about 10% of dogs truly bite, don't worry just looking at Cane will cause most people to go away but don't expect him to bite, don't believe the fila hype ect... Early on I had asked him if he had someone that could come out in a suit and just see what Cane would do. He said yes and that he would bring the guy with him on one of the later sessions. Well, by the time we had finished our lessons his agitator had moved. I don't think the guy had moved I don't think he was willing to put him with Cane. Besides with all the clubs he was involved in he could have found someone. After the first session he could not get closer then about 10 ft. to Cane. Cane hated him!

All that being said I'm not sure just how hard his temp is. Cane is my first fila so I'm not suire were he stands fila wise. He did almost go through the front window after a neighbor who had knocked on the door. He did break the window but I was right behind him and was able to grab around his waist, Debra was then able to help hold him and we were able to guide him back through without him cutting himself on the jagged edges. Needless to say that window was replaced with the bullet proof plastic type of pane.

I would love to hear about your fila's and everybodys.

[de la Luna]

Angelbears,

Thank God the glass didn't shred him.

I don't know if you are close. By Sacramento is an old German dog training school, with an independent coda. Retired officer instructed, has done VERY well teaching me to train my Filas. If you are interested, e-mail me and I will give you the information. Even if you are not local, they do use written hand outs to reinforce what they do in class and maybe it might help.

Best,