The Fila Brasileiro is a mastiff from Brazil. It descends from various sorts of European mastiffs crossed with bloodhounds. Interestingly, these dogs were part of a group of dogs known as bloodhounds in the New World. The most famous of these dogs was kept in Cuba, and one of these dogs guarded the infamous Andersonville Prison during the Civil War. In Brazil and Cuba, the dogs were used to track runaway slaves and “grip” them. They were definitely valued animals among the Southern plantation owners. These dogs were always called bloodhounds in the United States, which leads to a bit of confusion. The dog that we call the bloodhound today is not and never was an aggressive dog. The dogs that were in Uncle Tom’s Cabin were the bloodhound-mastiffs or tracking mastifs from Latin America.
The Brazilian tracking mastiff remained a sort of landrace among the large estates in that country. They were used as watch dogs and trackers of big game after the Brazilian government abolished slavery, and they existed in a non-standardized form until the well into the twentieth century.
In the 1970’s, the Brazilian dog fancy wanted the studbooks closed, so they could better standardize this dog into a fancy show breed. The original registry for this breed complied but only after creating a schism in the breed that lasts to this day. This led to two separate, warring registries in the breed.
The registry that got the breed accepted by the FCI called for dogs with distinctly molosser appearance with bloodhond facial features. They also wanted a nicer temperament in the dogs.
However, the other registry, the CAFIB (Club for the Improvement of the Fila Brasileiro), very strongly argues against making the dogs very heavy and coarse. And most controversially, its founders insist on breeding for what they say is a unique trait to the bred. This trait is called ojeriza.
Ojeriza roughly translates as xenophobia, a deep dislike of strangers. The standard for ojeriza states that the dog should not “allow the judge (a stranger) to touch it. And if it attacks the judge, such a reaction must not be considered a fault, but only a confirmation of its temperament.” (Let that sink in for a second.)
Dogs from these lines bond very strongly with their familes, and by the time they are 18 months to a year in age, they show very high levels of aggression towards people who are not in their immediate families.
The FCI backed club argues that the dogs were never historically bred this aggressive. The dogs allowed visiting farmers to enter the property. It was only when Brazil developed a high crime rate that people began to breed for a much more protective dog.
The CAFIB won’t even register a dog unless it shows ojeriza as an adult. Puppies are not registered. They counter that the FCI dogs are mixed with Great Danes and other “softer” mastiffs. The see their dogs as very close to the working tracking mastiff of Brazil as it always was.
Now, these dogs make superb guard dogs. However, in most dog breeds, even those bred for guarding behavior, we are trying to breed away from aggression (except, apparently, in golden retrievers). This is one breed that is typically subject to breed bans. It cannot be imported into the UK or Australia.
And it’s all because of the CAFIB’s insistence on breeding for ojeriza. Now, conditions in Brazil might warrant a super aggressive guard dog, but you really don’t need one in the US. In fact, such a dog is definite legal liability.
So is it ethical to breed for ojeriza? If the Brazilians are doing it, I can’t really judge them, but if Americans are also doing it, then I will judge them. Breeding for super aggressive dogs in this country is stupidity. If you want a protection dog, please select from one of those protection dogs that is easily trained. In fact, you’d probably be better off with a tough Komondor than a big mastiff dog that could kill someone. You don’t need a dog with that kind of liability issues.
Plus, if your big tracking mastiff does maul someone, everyone else who has a similar breed is going to suffer. There’s nothing to get the breed ban people all worked up than when a hyper-aggressive dog of some stigmatized breed bites or kills someone.
It is not ethical to breed for ojeriza in the United States or any other country that has issues with torts and poorly considered breed ban legislation. Now, in Brazil, there might be a reason for ojeriza.
I once had a very negative exchange with a breeder who was selecting for ojeriza in his dogs on youtube. He was Brazilian. He thought that his dogs were “more loyal” than mine, because they would kill someone who tried to trespass on his property. I don’t know what loyalty means in dogs. I think it’s a projection that we put on them, but I don’t think that loyalty means a dog that mauls the girl scouts when they come selling cookies.
This type of aggression is selected for in the bloodlines, like trainability is in other breeds. For him to say that his dogs were more loyal because of their aggression is no different than me saying that my dogs were more because they are more easily trained.
This will be a post in which I’m sure to get lots of hate comments, but I’m ready for it.
Update: Until these breeders can produce dogs that can exist in the 21st century, I think this is one breed that should be strictly controlled or banned outright. I will not say the same for the pit bull, because its breeders, by and large, get it.
You may defame me throughout the web. It’s not a big deal. “White” golden retriever people already have.
To be honest with you, no one in the US has a need for an attack dog that is nigh on impossible to control. There are many protection breeds that are safe, including GSD’s, provided they aren’t the inbred show variety, and the Malinois and other Low Countries shepherds. Those dogs are high trainability dogs, and they can be controlled.
We need fewer dogs that are biting people in this country. Every dog that bites means less freedom for responsible dog owners. And I think we’ve blamed the pit bull far too much for this. The truth is that the vast majorit of pit bulls are good dogs. I can’t say this about attack dogs from Third World countries, where democracy is really new and economic and social conditions are very different from here.
And don’t give me malarkey about courage. Courage is something people have. Dogs just have drives, which you can breed for or not breed for. The chow chow, for example, has been mellowed within my lifetime. It used to be the biter of all biters. You never could find a nice chow anywhere. And although you can get a biting chow today, you can also get better adjusted dogs. Chows were nasty for a very simple reason: in China they are food. You don’t want food that you might get attached to, so you really don’t pay attention to making chows trainable or pleasant dogs.
Ojeriza might be useful in Brazil, but in the US, it’s just playing with a loaded gun. I’ll say it, and until the breeders grow up, I’m going to keep saying it.
Sort of reminds me of my jerk of a neighbor’s school of thought. He breeds Cane Corso. And he obviously thinks of a big tough vicious and imposing dog as an extension of his penis. Somehow you can’t help but think that for anyone to breed for such a trait they must be trying to compensate for something they lack within themselves.
And I find it ironic that people who do such things fit into stereotypes themselves. It isn’t often you see an educated articulate and studious gentry that flock to this type of animal. Its the ones that typically think the biggest baddest dog on the block is their status symbol to aspire to. Or to put them in the same plateau with the likes of Michael Vic. Making a statement that says ‘don’t mess with me” “I’m untouchable because my dog will kill for me when I ask it to”. Right up until the point when their badass dog rips the face off of a neighbor’s kid. Or mauls some little old ladies maltese when she takes it for a walk.
Sure their dogs may have a history of being bred to fight or to aggressively attack. But where is that need in today’s world? Outside of a service dog, there really is no need. Yet you still see the owners putting up the spring loaded chains to train their dogs to bite hard and latch on, using the excuse that it is beneficial for the dog to have the proper musculature. Keep in mind this is coming from people who don’t show their dogs. Wonderful thinking isn’t it.
But if the media didn’t glamorize it so much then perhaps a calm dog like the PitBull from the “Little rascals” would be the goal.
These dogs that are bred for ojeriza are far more extreme than any Cane Corso I’ve ever seen. There’s a few videos of them on youtube. The only dogs that approach that level of aggression are the Ovtcharka breeds.
That’s a frightening prospect, breeding for dangerous traits. But, you know, it happens. And, not just in Brazil.
I’ve always been intrigued by Ovtcharka, but it has to do more with their rugged looks, not the aggression. I guess Anatolians have a reputation for aggression, too. My dogs, if they have any ASD in them, seem to have missed that memo.
LOL Sengimange: “Petey” from Our Gang wasn’t a “calm” dog.. he was a TRAINED dog! Whatever else you want to say about them, the APBT/AST are NOT supposed to exhibit “Ojeriza”. The people who are selecting for that behavior are actually worse than dogfighters in terms of the damage to the breed and can create a dangerous dog (despite the hype, fighting pit bulls are NOT dangerous to people because they fight other dogs).
But there are other breeds that are supposed to be at least suspicious of strangers. No one wants dangerous/people aggressive dogs. But do you want a SHY Doberman.. which is the too-common behavior of the Dobes I see, now that the breeders have deliberately watered down their protective nature?
There are several examples of ojeriza on youtube. It’s far more severe than “suspicion.” It’s extreme aggression, like a lion trying to attack a hyena.
Arghh! Ojeriza! I invite you into my house, it’s not “Ojeriza” you need to fear, it’s 6 small dogs overwhelming you at once ( they are well trained but I love the greeting ritual so don’t curb it), several of which can leap high enough to lick your face and kick you in the groin at the same time. All I need to do is start to mark it as a desired behavior, and you are toast. Nothing like a good kick to the gonads to disable someone, and I have dogs who are capable of it. And it has nothing to do with Ojeriza! Just normal behavior on the part of my dogs!
ps: I expect their fascination for faces and licking them is a trait that goes back through the centuries. If I bend down to put on socks or lace up boots, they mob me. The breed supposedly has a long history of companion animal status along with ridding the castle and manor of vermin. It was used for small prey: song birds and European rabbits,along with companion animal status. So facial contact wasn’t a trait that was selected against, once the breed was reduced in size to no longer be viewed as threatening. Instead, I suspect it was looked upon as endearing. Howver to get to your face, they have no problem with landing a kick to your bladder or your reproductive organs.
I’m assuming you’re talking about Italian greyhounds or the Piccolo Levriero . Most of those are nice little dogs– although they can break their legs really easily.
Frederick the Great had a pack of these dogs, although they were a bit bigger. There’s a larger size being bred called a Potsdam greyhound that supposedly resembles Frederick’s dogs.
I would like to see one of the little greyhounds lure-course. They are built just like big sighthounds, so I’m sure they could do it.
What happens if the family has to rehome the dog that has become attached to it?
That is a concern that I don’t think the CAFIB thought about.
I suppose the dogs are so expensive in Brazil that the average person couldn’t afford one, so the only people who have them have economic stability. But even in the best of conditions, rehoming can still have to happen.
That’s a very good question?
If you want to see pics of IGs doing lure, straight and oval racing, go to Dan Gauss’s Shot On Site, and I am sure there are videos on Youtube. The top LGRA dog for 2006 & 2007 was an IG, and was nosed out of the top spot this year by Jammin’, a greyt by one point. Since they are both members of my LGRA club, I had no preference as to which one got the top spot as they are both fabulous racing dogs!!! October 17th & 18th, 2009 will be the LGRA and NOTRA Nationals in Flemington, NJ. Come spectate!
As for Ojeriza, breeding Filas or any other dog just for aggression to satisfy one’s overinflated human ego is just so wrong on so many levels!
EmilyS,,,,
I know plenty of dogs tagged as aggressive breeds that aren’t born aggressive. They more often need to be trained to be aggressive not trained to be calm. In fact if an Ochavarta or Pit Bull or any aggressive breed were born without the expected tenacity and aggression required for maintaining fighting stock…. they were often culled… in fact more within the litters were born calm than aggressive if I remember correctly about history of most fighting breeds. More like selective culling.
Sengimange, yes, as I read what the dogmen wrote (I hasten to say I have no PERSONAL knowledge!), a truly “game” pit bull was rare. But the non-game ones weren’t always culled, in the sense of “killed”.. they were often given to family and friends for pets. It’s my personal theory that most of today’s pet APBTs/ASTs actually descend from THESE dogs rather than “game” ones. This accounts for the reduced levels of dog aggression in the breed which has fooled some well meaning folks into believing that there is NO innate dog aggression, or that if it exists, the dog has been trained or abused to create that behavior.
emily wrote:
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IMHO, taking away suspicious doesn’t necessarily means you’ll get shy. I’ve hung around folks doing schutzhund/police dog training and they want alert, brave, confident and watchful dogs They don’t want suspicious dogs as those kind often start making their own decisions about who needs to be bit.
I won’t claim to know much about Filas and the argument regarding degree of ojeriza and FCI vs. CAFIB. I have seen a few Filas at rare breed shows and one rather successful specimen was even exhibited by a professional handler (not the people he lived with). The dog didn’t seem terribly concerned about his surroundings including spectators and other dogs. Nonetheless, the judges didn’t attempt nor did they expect to touch him.
I have more experience with the Ovcharka breeds. I don’t find them to be raving unreasonable beasts. IF adequately socialized (an above-average, life-long undertaking with this breed), most are readily manageable and display good judgement. In addition, most are less aggressive off property. Just like many breeds, they are not for every owner. I have seen COs with agility and obedience titles requiring off-leash work. I used to house-sit for a female CO which required entering her property, medicating her, feeding her, leash walking her etc. I managed to emerge time and time again with my limbs all intact.
In the US, many COs are judged “hands-on” with the handler revealing the bite. In FCI shows, the judges do not touch them but the dogs coexist with each other in the ring and tethered outside the ring with little fuss.
Many Ovcharka enthusiasts (other LGD breed enthusiasts too!) believe that temperment is ESSENTIAL when defining the breed. There are already large, hairy, gregarious dogs…St.Bernard, Leonberger, Newfie. Do we need another? Should the CO be ‘lobotomized’ to appeal to the AKC crowd? Many argue emphatically no. You have said yourself that Goldens have “issues with being watered-down as a pet and as a show dog. The working form of golden is unsuitable for a family pet…” Should it be different for other breeds?
There will always be a large, blustery dog with aggressive tendencies so folks can have a penile extension on a leash. But, I really don’t mind Filas, Presas, CCs, COs, Sars, Komondors, Kangals, CAOs, Estrela, etc etc. in responsible hands.
That all may be true, but we live in a very different world from whence those breeds came. Most of these dogs don’t do the function for which they are bred. I mean it’s illegal to kill endangered jaguars with Fila Brasileiros and the wool industry in this country is pretty close to being on its knees.
I do have a different standard for other breeds, simply because my dogs aren’t a potential threat to people, unless they are bred away from their original temperament. Then they become a potential threat.
I think big Caucasian Ovtcharka are wonderful if they are to be used in a sheep range where there are wolves, and that’s what they should be. I don’t think they are the best city dog or casual pet.
I don’t think I could justify selling one to one of these macho freaks, but they get their hands on lots of different dogs and they turn them into monsters.
I’d be with you if it were not for the machismo that exists in our society.
This is quite a up-to-date information. I’ll share it on Delicious.
Interesting post. I decided to research the meaning of “ojeriza”.
I have owned a few different breeds, mixed, border collie, standard poodle, and now cane corso.
My dog mentor breeds and owns corsos, and recently bought a second fila (first succumbed to cancer) – don’t know from which “club” – my mentor said the pup is from some “old lines”. She is aware of the responsibility and is prepared for it. Not a responsibility I would want but that’s her choice.
I was very careful when I chose the breeder of my cane corso. They are not labs.
It is so easy to pass judgment. I am an artist and a woman – last time I checked I didn’t have a hard on. I love my dogs nature. He is not aggressive. Just because some insecure men want a large dog around them to prove their masculinity does not disqualify the breed.
Owning a Cane Corso has revealed a lot to me in regard to stereotyping.
Sorry, don’t care for golden retrievers – maybe its the company they keep. I have met more ill mannered, dog aggressive goldens and labs than I care to mention. Most of their owners are completely clued out and do nothing with their dogs in the way of obedience. Oh yah, and 95% of the dogs are obese. Great owners!
Not to mention all the terriers that charge my dogs all the time.
I see dog aggression in all breeds EVERY DAY that is almost NEVER corrected.
So my responsibility is to train my dog to resist defending himself when he is attacked (the other day he had a miniature schnauzer hanging from his jowls) . Here is an owner with a dog that is known to be dog aggressive playing, off leash, in a park with a ball (he is ball possessive as well). Along we come, blah blah blah, schnauzer attacks my dog. My dog does nothing. Good boy.
I accept that I need to train my dog but it would be really nice if the owners of all those “good” breeds of dogs that are dog and people aggressive would accept their responsibility.
Have you read my posts on aggressive golden retrievers?
No, I have not. Sorry.
[…] I don’t think it is. […]
I do not know how bad things are in Brazil, but my cousin has been living in USA (Philadelphia) for 1 year now – we are Spanish-, and she is appalled at the crime rate over there. She is coming back to Spain for this very reason. She feels there is no quality of life if you have to watch your every move to avoid becoming a victim of crime. So perhaps it would be a good idea to have a Fila over there.
In the US, it’s not really that breed that is being offered up for that purpose.
But the Caucasian Ovtcharka definitely is.
Owning a Fila is a big responsibility and is not one everyone is qualified to have. I have owned these dogs for 20 years now, I do believe and support the CAFIB standard and Ojeriza. Now with that being said should someone living in a small urban apartment own one HELL NO there is definately a huge potential for trouble in that scenario, however if you are a responsible person with a well secured yard and experience with large aggresive breeds then this breed MAY be for you. owning a fila is like owning a gun u may have the right to own it u ay not have the mindset or ability to handle it. The loyalty to its family is unmatched and they are generally very easy to house break and on the quiet side, but threaten him or his family (actually especially his family) you have entered a battle you are sure to lose.
I once spoke to someone who had been to South America and had seen these dogs at work. As it was explained to me, in that part of the world, home-invasion robberies are a huge problem for middle-class and upper-class families, and these dogs are the best line of defense. Tie one on either side of the doorway, and your robbery worries are over.
Brazil has banned private ownership of firearms. It’s quite ineffective, of course. And the crime rate in some areas is unbelievable. I can see the logic behind having a dog like this if I lived there.
I have a Fila. I got him from a pet store without knowing much about the breed. I saw Mastiff and jumped on it. He is now 5 months old and has show aggression toword others after the first couple of days. He doesn’t like people to come near me, he will sit on my feet and growl at them or stand between us. If I am okay with the person he will wag his tail and then walk away. He really has no interest in others. His temper is quelled by my other dog because he gets jealous. I have to say that I have experienced first hand his stranger danger and I have been avidly socializing him. He is extremely gentle with children and adores my 8 year old cousin. He even likes kitties and little puppies. But I also have a fear that he will only get worse if he is aggresive now then what will he be like at a year. I do live in an apartment with him. He is one of the kindest dogs I have ever know but if someone else were to have purchased him I fear in the wrong hands he could be a killer. It is scary to have a dog that would attack and kill just because you were in its territory, and I wouldn’t want this kind of dog lurking around. But I firmly believe that a lot of this ojeriza has to do with the owner. They play a large part in their behavior just like pit bulls. Yes these dogs have the breeding to be aggresive but with a firm hand and proper socialization the dog should be able to respond properly. I am working deligently with my dog if I keep calm and reassure him than he is fine. He has never tried to bite anyone not even me. And I plan to keep it that way. A responsible owner should never have problems
I am going to be really blunt, Lauren, sorry, I dont have a lot of time right now and I really hope you read this post and digest it.
First, any breeder who would sell a litter of Fila pups to a pet store is a completely irresponsible idiot. The pet store owners are idiots too.
Lauren, you are wrong if you think that it is all in how they are raised. Filas are the way they are because of genetics. You can not train away your Fila’s innate distrust and hatred of strangers. Sure, you can modify a little bit. But you would be extremely irresponsible to allow your dog around strangers.
PLEASE PLEASE contact a responsible Fila breeder and educate yourself before your dog seriously hurts, maims, or even kills someone. Not to mention that you could be faced with a lawsuit that could bankrupt you.
You are in over your head and have no idea what you are doing. Please believe me. When your dog reaches maturity or even before you will NOT, I repeat NOT be able to control your dog if it decides to attack someone. Therefore you must create conditions so that can not happen.
I like to think I’m one of those few “educated articulate and studious gentry that flock to this type of animal.” I have Central Asian Shepherds, widely considered one of the top 5 most aggressive dog breeds. (Caucasian Ovcharka, Bully Kutta, Fila Brasiliero, & South Russian Ovcharka are generally the others). You couldn’t pay me to have a Fila, though. I find them hideously ugly, & the temperament is out of control. Caucasians are rapidly headed the same way, being bred for excessive aggression rather than working ability. BKs are as insane as Filas, with insane dog aggression to boot, but at least are pretty much unheard of outside of Pakistan for the time being. Some lines of CAS are also getting really bad. SROs are too much work keeping groomed to ever get as popular as the others but they are known for flying into a rage at the slightest provocation.
An aggressive guardian dog needs judgment & deference to the handler, not just a hatred of strangers. Working dogs on the farm aren’t supposed to just eat everyone who comes along, they’re supposed to evaluate threat level & respond only as much as needed. And what good is a personal protection dog if you can’t take it anywhere without it lunging at everyone it sees? Or if it has to be muzzled? And these are DOGS. They’re supposed to work at the behest of human beings. A dog which recognizes no attempts by its owner to control it should be *euthanized*, not lauded & *certainly* not bred from. Obviously the guardian breeds require more experienced & careful socialization & handling than a less aggressive breed, but they should still be socialize-able & handle-able. They should also be highly sensitive to their handler. If I say “let the judge/vet tech/random stranger touch you”, I damn well expect my dogs to do it, & not give me any guff about it. A dog who is so aggressive & suspicious that she won’t defer to me is just an accident waiting to happen & has NO place in the modern world.
And to the assholes who think my dogs lack protection ability because strangers can touch them, they’re welcome to come try to mug me or break into my house or steal my truck.
Also, extreme suspicion is FEAR. Xenophobia. Just because they react by attacking instead of fleeing doesn’t make them any less afraid. It just makes them the same kind of aggressive cowards that we hate so much when they come in human form. Why this is called courage in dogs when it’s called cowardice in humans is beyond me.
One of the finest, most reliable, stable, downright awesome GSDs I ever had, I bought from a man who sold him to me because “he couldn’t make him mean”. The dog was 110 lbs of beautiful, healthy, intelligent shepherd. He had bought the dog when his baby son was 6 months old, and the dog and the baby were inseparable. In fact, the other kids had to take the baby walking up the road (he was age 2 by then) in order for me to pick up the dog.
I tried to talk the man out of selling him. I asked him why on earth he would want a mean dog around a baby? Didn’t he understand that if anyone tried to harm the child, that dog would be all over them like white on rice? Didn’t he realize what a liability a trukt mean dog would be? Stetson did his job: he barked when I came to the gate the first time, then walked beside me to the door and put himself between me and the missus & baby – just like a good dog should do with a non-threatening visitor.
The man was adamant that he wanted to sell him, and that if I didn’t buy him, he would sell him to whomever wanted him. I bought him on the spot. He later saved my life and my whole family’s lives by alerting to a malfunctioning gas furnace that was just about to set fire to the house. One of the best dogs who ever walked.
Oh and did the man get his mean dog, you may ask? Why yes, yes he did. He bought a huge male Rottweiler that was very aggressive. It eventually attacked the man’s elderly father as he walked across the yard unannounced one evening, inflicting such damage that the old man had to be hospitalized.
I agree: a good guard dog is not the one that will bite the ass off the UPS man. A good guard dog is one that can use its judgement and know when you’re being threatened, and behave accordingly. One of the reasons that police K9s are in such widespread use is the old but true mantra “You can call a dog back; You can’t call back a bullet”. A good guard dog should be observant of strangers; even suspicious of them until it gets a good look at them to make sure they’re not a threat, but a non-threatening stranger should be able to approach and touch the dog without fear of losing his or her hand.
The best protectors have some level of judgement (sounds like Stetson the GSD was one of those dogs). THey don’t bust out like a cannonball at everything walking that isn’t the one who raised and fed him. And yes, these Ojeriza types are all about ego.
Is anyone still breeding Filas in their supposedly TRUE original temperaments then? Sounds like we have two diverting directions here between the FCI and CAFIB.
Ah, but then no creature was meant to stand still in nature. Something has to evolve, so let’s put it in a good direction. I agree. Few people need this extreme of a guard. If you are a multi billoinaire and have a big estate and a lot of lawyers and insurance, have at it, I guess. Someone’s ALWAYS going to make dogs of questionable tempers; seems to be a reflection of human tempers. But as so many people live in dense populations like towns or cities, having a dog of this nature AND size is impractical at the very least, and horrendously dangerous at worst.
With few exceptions, I’m not much of a mastiff fan for this very reason. The choices in mastiffs seem to be, precarious due to guarding nature in combination with not being the most trainable, or, sweet but overexposed to the public and having a lot of health issues from size (english mastiffs, great danes).
As for loyalty, my dog has no problem leaving me in the park for nearby friends having a game. Doesn’t bug me. But he’ll notice after a bit if I leave and forget the game. Or when we are all splitting up, he goes with me. That’s all the loyalty I need; the type that keeps me from losing him when he’s off the lead. It’s just practical. Besides, what if I die early on? Wouldn’t it be better for him to move on with a new person? Too much loyalty can be a detriment.