New Puppy coming home!

[bigd1622]

Hi all, im new tot his forum and new to the fila breed, i have read everything about filas and i mean like 4 hours a day i think i am obsessed. Well, here is my main problem, my male Fila is 6 months old his name is Apollo. He is gentle with us and a killer with anyone else, he is also dog aggressive... he barks grows and seems to want to fight all dogs, he never did bite or fought any dog before tho since i always walk him on a leash. Two days ago my dog breeder called me and told me that he has a new litter... so i wanted to get a female and thats where i have the problem how do i introduce a female puppy to Apollo? there are many topics talking about this on the net but none of them have filas. awaiting any answers

Att, Dario

[bigd1622]

Hey people thanks for the tips...ill do exactly what you suggested... hmm nothing...

[Paul]

Be patient, some of the senior members on this forum have jobs and dogs. I am sure you will get some advice soon. I'll put my two cents in later today.

[Robert_eptx]

he barks grows and seems to want to fight all dogs,

Seriously Hoss; with what you wrote above about the problem ( 11 words) you want somebody to give you advice? DA can range from low level to off the charts so it is anybodies guess where your dog is at..

Try being a little more informative or specific and maybe somebody might have an idea or two.. I wouldn't touch this subject with that little information on a good day and without actually being able to see what your dog does any advice would be subjective and generic in nature.

Robert Williams
The Dog School
El Paso, Texas

[bigd1622]

Ok, so let me explain a little better. All dogs hes encountered came in barking and growling towards him and he returns the same. Yesterday we were walking and some shepherd mix came running and starting barking and growling at him, so my dog just wanted to attack back. Here in brazil walking with dogs on the streets sucks, because most people dont tie up their dogs, so when they see a different dog they all come attacking. Apollo (my fila) ever since his first walk has encountered numerous dogs trying to attack, so in some part of his mind i feel that he thinks that all dogs are a threat. i already bought another fila which isnt born yet. my question is, do i leave him inside his canil with the gate shut and leave the puppy lose in the yard? or should i hold the puppy in my arms and let him smell her? i never owned another fila, this is my first fila, his agression from 1-10... id say hes a 10, his sense of ojeriza is extremely high. he already had a hard ojeriza temper from early age about 5 weeks of age.

[carrie]

So let me get this straight, you bought your first fila from a kennel that has 52 dogs, that would be my first red flag, second they breed danes, mastiff and filas, second red flag and thirdly both parents do not have papers, third red flag. Did you know that if you breed a mastiff and a dane you get a dog that "looks" like a fila. And now you are bringing home a female from the same kennel, how do you know they are even fila when the parents have NO papers??

So what do you do when the dogs come near you? Do you take control of the situation or just let your pup lunge at the dog? If im out walking and a stray dog comes running at my dog, i see it normaly before my dog sees it so i can normaly keep the other dog away with a loud HEY and a foot stomp or finger snap normaly stops the advance, most of the time its all bluffing and noise. I have also used a squirt gun on stray dogs which seems to work well, I also dont leave my spot until the other dog gets uninterested, if your dog kicks up a stink put him in a sit, snap his mind out of it by giving him a command, the more you do this the better he will get its all about repetition. Im no trainer by any means but this is what works for me and i seem to have success with taking my dogs with me, have had filas for almost 20 years, they are a very intelligent breed. What good is a protection dog if you cant take them with you, mine behave when out, i dont tolerate lunging maniacs, to much of a lawsuit these days, i love my dog to much to let anything happen to them. Dont get me wrong, i love the fila temp, you can never take away the fila temp but you can make it more managable with obedience training, which alot of people do not do, a fila is just a dog.

[Robert_eptx]

I’m going off what you wrote and since I can’t see your dog any comments are general in nature.
Plus if you left something out my comments may not be appropriate.. Consulting somebody that can actually see your dog is the best bet.

If the only time that he displays aggressive behavior is in self-preservation or defense then I’m not sure he could or should be labeled as Dog Aggressive.. It’s a very normal reaction for any dog (or person for that matter) to become defensive if something comes charging at them, especially if they are displaying threatening behavior.

As to your actual questions about the new puppy

At 6 months of age he is still a puppy and introducing another puppy into the mix shouldn’t be that big of a problem. You’re getting a female and most of the time there aren’t issues with opposite sex introductions. Perhaps in the first few hours if your dog goes into “Intruder Alert mode” but that generally passes very quick. Puppies in general aren’t threatening like the dogs you encounter on walks. It’s just two entirely different situations

You could go the safe route and do the separation routine where they can smell and then see each other and gradually introduce them, or do what I do which is keep the bigger one on a leash so I have some control on what happens and let them get used to each other in the yard, house etc.. It’s hard to recommend something because I don’t know your skill levels, your dogs’ general attitude and can’t see what he or you do in a given situation.

Things to think about:
1. Does he display any other times of aggression where he is the instigator? If yes then depending on what they are you might have a problem.

2. Since you got him has he been around or socialized with other dogs? Dogs that haven’t interacted with other dogs growing just haven’t learned the basics of allowed behavior or rules if you will.

3. Have you tried putting him a calm situation or neutral territory where he can meet with just one other dog and observing how he interacts? If not try it (using a female is best). Maybe you could introduce them at the breeder’s place if you’re picking up the puppy from the breeder. They may actually be the best person to help you out as they should know ( in theory) something about dogs and behavior..

These are just a start but as a trainer I think you would be better off looking for information on how to introduce a new puppy into the home versus a dog aggression issue. Again its hard to say since I'm not there.

A personal note from me: you wrote this

there are many topics talking about this on the net but none of them have filas

I have never bought into this nonsense that Filas’ have their own little special set of rules for everything. I’ve been in the dog business (and Filas’) for a long time and they follow the same basic rules of behavior as any other breed.. Yes they have their own special quirks (which are good to know) as does any breed but in most things dog related it applies evenly across the board.. The basic behaviors are the same..So in DA issues or introducing a new dog into the home if you run across suggestions that make sense try them out.

A book on dog behavior you might find interesting can be found here:
http://www.nonlineardogs.com/100MostSillyIntro.html

Parts of it are still available on line but since it was finished you have to buy it to get the entire book. They have a purchase and download option. In my opinion its worth the money.

Perhaps something I wrote makes sense to you helps you out a little. Good luck with both your pups.

Robert Williams
The Dog School
El Paso, Texas

[bigd1622]

Hey carrie... i said that im new to filas, not that i am an ignorant on the subject nor the breed... i know what an english mastiff is, and i know a dane... and i dont know where in your right mind you would come to a conclusion that those two would make a fila (looking dog) first off i saw all of the filas... im in brazil hun... finding them with papers isnt so easy... sure theres some famous breeders around with the papers but in a way it doesnt mean crap. most breeders still think a fila should weight 80kg, the breeder i bought it from has good looking parents and look nothing like a mix. so red flag for you thinking a DANE and an english mastiff make a Fila. Sow hat do i do when a dog comes near? i usually move Apollo to the opposite side and do my best to shoo out the other dog... but sure you said you come across strays quite often right? my problem isnt one stray where i shoo one away... my problem is like 5 of em or more... no one here ties up their dogs or keep em behind a fence. so try snaping your fingers at em.. and you will look like a retard in the middle of the road. But your comment is much appreciated and i will keep the advice to keep my dogs attention away from the dogs and i will continue to practice that.

Sincerely, Dario

[bigd1622]

Hey robert,

Thanks man, you tips were basically exactly what i was looking for...I tried to do that... in the middle of a huge dirt field letting Apollo lose with other dogs.... he didnt seem to want to fight with them off the leash but he was dominant... was kinda hard to control his dominance because the other dogs were just running away. I have a brick made dog Kennel where i keep Apollo and going to make another one for the female... Apollo is really good with me and my wife, i can take bones and food out of his mouth whenever i want. so since youre a trainer you know whats best. like i said before he doesnt just wait for the dogs to bark to go at them it only takes them getting close enough that he goes mad... but if the dog stays about 20 feet away he doesnt mind them so maybe he isnt so agressive.

Thank you so much for the advices

[bigd1622]

i posted pictures of him in the evaluation Area... look at him and tell me what you think... thaNKS