Just ask anyone who knows Filas – their faithfulness is legendary. This article is certainly not being written to dispute this; in fact, it is the author’s belief that one would be hard pressed to find another breed that has the Fila’s character, loyalty, devotion, and protectiveness all wrapped up into one package. What I am hoping to discuss in this article is something that I feel needs attention. People with young Filas (some are my pups, many others are not) have contacted me asking me this question more than a few times. The question that I hear is: “My Fila growls at (me/my kids/my spouse), and I fear that it is going to bite us. I thought the Fila never turned on its owners. What is wrong with my dog?” My answer to them in a nutshell is, “The problem with your dog is that it is a DOG.” Let me explain.

Most people know that dogs are pack animals and that they need a leader. This leader is called the alpha dog, and this animal has much responsibility. The alpha dog must keep his/her pack under control by requiring respect from his followers. To do this, he/she will growl, bite, and bark at the lesser pack members to communicate behaviors that are unacceptable. Unfortunately, this is one way dogs speak; they don’t have the convenience of vocal chords and speech. Another way that dogs communicate with one another is through body language. Again most people are inept at reading their dog’s body language.

It is important to remember that every thing that a dog does, it does for a reason. Occasionally it does something because it is simply a part of the dog’s personality or it is a learned response that it picked up at some time during its life and was somehow rewarded for that behavior. Examples of this are talking to owners by vocalizing yawns, mumbles, yodels, sighs, growls, whines, etc. Many Filas do this if encouraged as pups to vocalize. On occasion a dog will learn to rub against the owner’s legs as a cat would do. These are things that make our dogs special and unique.

The best way to see a dog communicate is to watch it interact with a new dog. Assuming that neither dog is being aggressive, most introductions go something like this. The dogs will approach each other with stiff legs, high-held heads, and pulled up ears that are at attention. Generally tails will be held at the level of the back or higher. Often times, both dogs will have the hackles up (the hair on the withers). They will generally sniff each other’s genitals and rears, circling. If one dog feels that it is alpha already, it will not allow the other dog to sniff at his/her rear for any extended time. If you were to look closely at this interaction you would witness canine communication at its finest. The stiff legs, tall head, up ears, and hackles are all saying, “Hey, I’m bigger than you, don’t give me any trouble!” The tails are held in a manner that help with the impression that the dog is larger than it may be, without looking submissive and without looking like the dog is picking a fight. “Look how large I am. I’m not afraid of you, and I don’t need to fight you.” The sniffing that goes on is a way to catalog the other dog for future reference, and the fact that an alpha dog will cut sniffing short by moving is a way of control. In other words, “I say when we sniff, and for how long!” A submissive dog would communicate this fact with a low tail that stays fairly close to the rear legs, a less than tall posture, ears that are held closely to the skull and pulled back from the face, and leaning away from the dominant dog.

Every aspect of a dog’s stance is done for a reason. This is probably the hardest part for me to explain to a puppy owner. From simple things like the position of the tail and the look on the dog’s face to eye contact and the way the dog leans its body weight, that puppy is doing all of these things for a reason – to communicate! It is OUR responsibility to understand our dogs and to keep our communication to them clear and understood. If you are verbally telling your dog No, but you have a worried look on your face and you are standing in a manner that conveys submission to your dog, he will ignore you. Keep in mind that EVERY lesson will be learned by your dog, regardless if it is the way you intended the lesson to be! So, in turn you are TRAINING your dog that you are NOT the decision-maker in his pack. In a dog’s mind there must always be a pack leader, so if you are not willing to fill the roll, HE WILL. If your dog is alpha, it is his responsibility to maintain control of his pack (you). As I explained earlier, he can only do this by growling and biting. It is nothing personal, and he still loves you. But your Fila must FIRST be a dog. He is no less loyal to you if he is alpha, and no less faithful. But he will not tolerate corrections from you (that would be like an employee telling his boss what to do!) nor will he allow misbehavior. He will not let you eat before him, for he will be in control of the food. (Most of these complaints I get arise from puppies that growl at their owners when they are eating.)

Americans often treat their dogs more as if they were children, rather than canines. This can be described as anthropomorphism, and is defined as “the attributing of human . . . characteristics to . . . animals” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1972). Examples of this are common. A popular one is people who feel that their dog has feelings of guilt or remorse for a specific action. When a dog hunches its shoulders and lowers it head with a sad look in its eye, it is more likely that the dog senses that there is disharmony in the pack and by acting submissive is telling the owner that it isn’t being a challenge. The dog generally is not going to associate the ‘bad deed’ with the disapproval of its owner. That requires logic, and granted, some dogs are shockingly intelligent, they are rarely logical in the way that humans are.

I think another reason that Filas never ‘turn’ on their owners in Brazil is because they raise them differently than we Americans do. Brazilian Filas are often farm dogs, where they either live outside or in kennels. These dogs don’t spend as much one-on-one time with their people as the average American Fila does. Their life is hard and rugged, and they are more likely to form packs amongst themselves where their dominance is displayed. When their owner arrives on the scene they are likely vying for attention amongst one another. This, in and of itself, is a display of submission. Just like a litter of puppies will rush an approaching adult dog and run about licking its face and lips, hoping against all hope that the adult will offer a tidbit of food, the Brazilian Fila more than likely rushes its owner hoping that a pat on the head will land upon them. Americans spend a lot of time bonding with and socializing with their dog, and although this is great, the dog absorbs knowledge every moment of their coupling. If this bonding time is spent where the dog is treated as an equal, instead of a dog, it can encourage displays of dominance on the part of the dog. I also believe that we Americans spend more time talking to our dogs, which creates an accepted ignorance on the part of the dogs in our lives. They hear us chatter all the time and they simply tune us out. Owners who are not able to make a command sound clear and authoritative, are often times ignored. Again, fault lies with the owner, not the dog. Talking to our dogs is a great stress reliever for us and our dogs enjoy hearing our voices. But if an owner is unable to get the attention of his dog due to his inability to issue a command, then that owner may find himself in an unfortunate situation if the need arises where he has to get his dog to respond to him via voice.

“Can I handle a dominant dog and maintain my control of the alpha position in my household?” This is an important question to ask yourself before you purchase a Fila. If you have one already and you are having problems there is no time like the present to work on a role reversal. This article is not intended to address this training issue, as it is a complex one that must be dealt with carefully. Go to a professional trainer and explain what is going on in your home. Alpha behavior is a way of life, and for some it comes naturally. Others can learn how to interact with their dog with a few rules that will maintain their ‘alpha-ness’ and they will suffer few problems. And some are simply not meant to own a dominating, aggressive, territorial dog like the Fila. They will live with a certain amount of fear of their dog, and they will never have control over that dog. This is unacceptable. A breed of dog like the Fila must ALWAYS be under the control of its owner. PERIOD.