The Fila Brasileiro
is a large, athletic and powerful guard dog. It is strongly advised that
all filas be obedience trained - and here's the key -
as an ongoing
process!
It's important to note
that there are two schools of thought here: one group believes that
the fila is primarily an estate guardian and farm dog and thus
shouldn't be trained to to go out into crowded public places as this
increases the risk of bite incidents and may end up attracting
unwanted attention towards the breed.
The other places great
emphasis on an ongoing training program which allows them to do
things with their dogs that wouldn't otherwise be possible. There
are both pros and cons to each. The important thing to remember is
thatnobody advises grabbing your somewhat trained
adult fila and going for a stroll around Petsmart.
You're going to see pictures and videos of the fila doing all sorts
of activities, sometimes involving strangers, that on the surface
appear to indicate that the fila does all this naturally. For the
majority of fila, nothing could be further from the truth!
The
handlers in these videos are experienced and dedicated dog trainers
and owners, who work constantly at making sure their dog is the best
he or she can be. Just slapping a little bit of obedience training
on a fila during their first year is NOT going to change the
temperament from fila brasileiro to golden retriever, nor will it
guarantee you a dog you can take to dog parks and into crowded
areas.
For
those activities you will need to recognize that your training is
going to be a commitment for the lifetime of the dog...which is how
it should be anyway.
Even so, you should also be aware that many filas may never be
completely suitable for these activities.
The following videos show a fila
doing basic obedience.
Off leash obedience,
with gunfire as a distraction:
