Mastiff - Which One?

[Elvismom]

When I originally joined, I sincerely believed that Elvis was a CC mix. Having said that, after reading on here and doing more research, he seems to possibly be a fila mix. I say that because of how he looks, his "no stranger" temperament, and to top it off we have noticed that he does the walk that is linked to the fila. I just honestly thought he was a goober because of how he moves. He also has a distinct smell to him that was really bad when he was on a lower grade feed, now that he has better feed, the smell is definitely doable, it is just there to stay, can't even deodorize it away. The other thing is his nose....that thing goes non-stop. He is not going to be as big as a purebred fila, but to me he seems to have the other traits. I am going to post a few pictures and see what all of you think. My reason for wanting to know really has to do with the "no stranger" temperament that has been present since I got him at eight weeks and has become more developed at 21 weeks. Thanks!

 

[kbuchanan66]

I'll let the Fila Experts way in on this.

IMO, When I look at him I don't see CC at all.

 

[tojvan]

Does he have a camels pace I think filas are the only ones that do its when the hind legs are longer then the back by a fair margin. Because of that they have a very distinct walk . At 21 weeks you should be able to notice it from a mile away, you can't miss it . If he does I'm guessing most likely he is a fila mix!

 

[Elvismom]

Oh yes, he has a camels pace. I have noticed it since I got him, I just did not understand what it was or that it was distinct to one breed. Since he is a mix breed, it seems as though his appearance has changed over time. When we got him he looked like an oversized hound dog pup, the wrinkles were what really got us. He still has them but they are more pronounced when he is relaxed. The no stranger temperament is another HUGE think with him. He is really good out in public, he just does not want anyone but my husband and I in his space. When my oldest son came to stay with us, he spent two days constantly barking at him until he decided that Tyler was not too bad. I had to tell my son to let Elvis come to him on his own terms. He did, but it took a whole and constant weekend for him to accept Tyler....he did much better with is girlfriend though.

 

[tojvan]

Yea he's probably a fila mix, that means you have a lot of work to do. Try to read as much as you possibly can. Filas are very complex especially their temperament. Filas love it's owner, it's family and that's it unless they have been introduced to the friend as a puppy otherwise there is no way getting around that.
I still have a long way to go there are many fila experts on this forum, im curious as to what they have to say.

 

[BIgdog]

Most likely a fila mix but i could be wrong

 

[musicdeb]

I honestly do not see Fila at all. I see EM and possibly BM mix. I'm sure the Fila owners will pipe in.

 

[zebraworks]

post picture of standing from side, front, and rear. looks like it could have some fila blood in there somewhere.

 

[Tiger12490]

Dont personally see alot of fila in there

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[Elvismom]

As soon as I get back to the house I will take some more pictures. He definitely has the camels gait, and some of the wrinkling, for me, the biggest thing is his temperament. He is loving and loyal to us, his cats, and his chihuahua. But when it comes to other people he is completely handsoff I know that he is mixed although he was advertised as 3/4 pitt and I know that is not possible after seeing both of his supposed parents. My vet says he is definitely a mastiff cross, we just dont know which one or even how much. As a pup, my husband really thought he looked like a hound dog....so I will get some pics from different angles up later in the day. Thanks guys.

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[DMikeM]

I don't see Fila either. If he had a couple wrinkles on his head or face I would say at least part Boerboel.
Also CC's and BB's look very close when the ears are not cropped on the CC. I just saw some pics of Black BB and Black CC with the ears intact and I couldn't tell the difference.

 

[musicdeb]

Looking forward to seeing more pics. Do you want him to be a Fila?

 

[Elvismom]

I am sorry that it took so long to get the pics, yesterday was hectic at best. We plan on getting better ones today when we take him to the park.

To answer the question if I want him to be a fila cross. My answer is it really does not matter, I am already attached to him and am doing the work with him. My reason for wanting to try to figure out what is predominant in his has everything to do with his temperament. Then of course with all the research, in terms of general things to include the camel's pace, that is where he seems to fit.

Elvis' background is shady at best, although his father definitely had the look of a fila and had the temperament to boot. I know that Elvis' sister from another litter is the same way. I want to know because of his temperament to strangers, and how he relates to people in public. When it comes to other animals, there is no issue and in public, he tends to ignores strangers until they try to invade his space, this includes my vet. What is in my mind is his safety and the safety of those around us and the more I know, the better I am able to handle and train accordingly with the understanding of limits.

Personally, I would not choose a fila but in the situation we are attached to him and he is attached to us and I want to make sure that we do the training properly for what he is. Thanks for listening!

 

[Tiger12490]

Still dont see much if any Fila

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[Elvismom]

Thank you for all of the responses. I dont know what to make of him either.

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[voidecho]

I was talking to some guy at the dog park who said he spent something like $60 on DNA testing for his pup to get an idea of what it was. I think it was an online thing where they send you a kit, you take a mouth swab of your pup and send it back to them.

Just a thought if you're really interested.

 

[Smart_Family]

Most dog DNA tests don't recognize breeds like fila so it would only give you funky results.

 

[voidecho]

Yeah, I was wondering whether Fila would be a tough one to test.

 

[Elvismom]

I have been seriously considering the dna but like smartfamily said they dont recognize certain breeds. What I do know is that Elvis is not what the original owners claimed he was. In reality, I dont even have a true clue since people dont know much about the various breeds. What I do know is that if he was majority pit his temperament would be totally different than what it is given the training and handling he has. He seems to be following the traditional "stages" that are seen in the mastiff and some specifically more to the fila. If thats not the case then what I have is an animal that has several siblings and if all of them are not handled appropriately could be a major danger to society. In reality, these people having been breeding these pups....same bitch and same sire....supposedly they were gonna have the bitch spayed but I highly doubt it, but these pups have dangerous potential and having knowledge of what they are will, at least, allow me to keep the one I have from being in danger or being dangerous. Its one thing to have an idea of what he is but I want to know that I have done everything possible to ensure that he is taken care of and if I have to go and talk to the people who produced him, then I will. I do know that if Elvis had been placed in the wrong hands the potential for danger that is there would be an absolute nightmare.

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[dpenning]

Don't some breeds have a DNA database somewhere? I can't remember where I saw it, if it was AKC or OFA. Might be interesting if some "known good" fila's sent in samples as a benchmark?