So I met my first Fila... in PetSmart :(

[AKBull]

I could sell eggs and still be in debt.

Easter Eggs?

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Easter Eggs?

Well......they certainly are a surprise, LOL

 

[tojvan]

Lol I was speculating taking trigger to petsmart for classes, not to change him in anyway just to give him a better idea of different kind of people out there. So heel have an idea of gauging threats and reacting accordingly. But I went against it cause it can also be counter productive as well if the trainer didn't understand the breed and tried to force him to obey which will only add more to his hatred. So I just take him to parks talk to bunch of people and observe how he reacts, it's more of training for myself so I can understand his body language better.

 

[angelbears]

We took Cane to petsmart 3 or 4 times, when he was 4 to 5 months old. The trainers freaked. LOL I had noticed a woman following us but not getting too close, allowing us plenty of room(we went when it was not busy). She finally got close enough to ask if she could approach, Cane was very aloof but not snapping or lounging at people yet. She said she was the trainer and knew a little about Fila's but never did suggest he be brought in for classes. She did hint at private lessons but didn't even push that very hard. Needless to say, it has been years since we have been to petsmart.

 

[chuckorlando]

We use to take Kona to the pet store and park and all that. It's important to socialize them. At some point most will not be able to do those things and thats the point the problems will start.

 

[Cody]

Oh it is not that the dog was in PS or even taking puppy classes there, IMO those are just socialization tools really. For me it is that the owners have no idea what they own nor do they seem to want to. I spoke with the trainer there, gave her a bunch of info and some stuff to print out and she is giving it to the owners. The hard part was trying to explain the breed to her. At first she got a look of sheer terror on her face so I had to back pedal. Trying to explain that it is not a bad breed (and get past the no breed is bad is owners yadda yadda yadda) but that it is an intense breed. That it's love and loyalty to it's family is so strong that it will die to protect and that it sees everything outside of it's family as a threat to their safety. The majority of the general public, will NOT understand the beauty and awe of that. Don't get me wrong the trainer is a nice girl, I really like her, but she (as most) do not understand the nature of Guardian working breeds, let alone one as intense as the Fila... Hell I barely understand it. Although I must say watching this pup and her people was pretty awesome for a pup of that age... lol, made me kinda want one

 

[zebraworks]

What I don't get is why people try to pass them off as "Gentle Giants". I would think that "Bad Ass" dog would get you as much money or more.

well to be completely fair here, there are many "filas" in the U.S. that have little to no Ojeriza. This is a valid point to be accounted for since not all dogs will have correct temperament. I actually have one. she doesn't care for strangers but has no aggression.

 

[lizzy.bu]

That is very disappointing to hear hopefully they will figure it out or figure out a home for the little pup that will work out better for her

 

[Sitka]

I bought my Fila cross from a lady who told me her dog was extremely sensitive and loving, best family dog. I had told her I knew nothing about them and boy, did she up-sell me. Don't get me wrong, my pup is amazing and I'm coming to adore the breed for how powerful and mesmerizing they are, but had I known about this breed I probably would have admired from afar. It is exceedingly difficult to educate people when they think all dogs are the same as floppy labs and "no, no, dogs love me".
I love my pup, but its been a giant wake up call to educate myself before buying.

 

[cookiedough39]

This is a right now generation. They wanted the dog right now so instead of researching the breed and learning more about it they trusted what they saw and went for it. I put Fila temperament in google and all 3 sites I went to say they are totally intolerant of strangers and you cannot train this out of them. I know a couple Fila owners. Their dogs will let me in the house but they sit right at my friends leg and watch the whole time. "gentle giant" my ass.

 

[chuckorlando]

The Fila is all that. I doubt you were told anything untrue. Just were not told the whole truth. Loving, loyal, gentle great with kids and family, easy to train, very sensitive. Thats a Fila. Whats usually left out is how they will and should bite unknown humans. Any and all humans given the chance and/or circumstance given those humans are not viewed as family. How you view them dont mean shit to the Fila. It's how the Fila views them

I bought my Fila cross from a lady who told me her dog was extremely sensitive and loving, best family dog. I had told her I knew nothing about them and boy, did she up-sell me. Don't get me wrong, my pup is amazing and I'm coming to adore the breed for how powerful and mesmerizing they are, but had I known about this breed I probably would have admired from afar. It is exceedingly difficult to educate people when they think all dogs are the same as floppy labs and "no, no, dogs love me".
I love my pup, but its been a giant wake up call to educate myself before buying.

 

[Jadotha]

Well, we can hope that the owners may actually do some research on the breed, if only to prove Cody wrong.

 

[Emily2719]

I hate that someone would almost "trick" someone into adopting a dog that they know nothing about....We did an amazing amount of research about our cane/fila mix before we adopted her, I am really hoping this situation does not end badly.