Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Fila Brasileiro Breed Overview
- History of the Fila Brasileiro Breed. Where Fila Brasileiros came from
- What the Fila Brasileiro Looks Like
- How Much is the Fila Brasileiro Puppy?
- Fila Brasileiro Growth
- What Colors do Fila Brasileiros Have?
- How Long Fila Brasileiros Live
- Good Names for Fila Brasileiros
- Health Problems in Fila Brasileiros and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Fila Brasileiro
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Fila Brasileiros
- Other Things to Know About Fila Brasileiros
Fila Brasileiro Breed Overview
The Fila Brasileiro is a giant-sized dog.
The adult Fila Brasileiro stands 24 to 30 inches.
The Fila Brasileiro belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Fila Brasileiro, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.
Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.
Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.
The fact that Fila Brasileiros belong to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Fila Brasileiros have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Fila Brasileiro is generally described as:
- Brave
- Courageous
- Determined
- Docile
- Loyal
- Obedient
History of the Fila Brasileiro Breed. Where Fila Brasileiros came from
Brazil is the birthplace of the Fila Brasileiro, a large working dog breed.
Large game is hunted with it as well as using them for other work like guarding, dog fighting, and cattle driving.
There are two main standards for the Brazilian Cynophilia breed, the CBKC and CAFIB.
There is a major difference between the three standards due to the fact that CBKC registered dogs in the 70`s, 80`s and 90`s were accused of crossbreeding.
There are certain countries where it is illegal to own or breed a Fila Brasileiro, such as Fiji, the United Kingdom, Norway, Malta, Cyprus, and Fiji.
Importing Filas to Australia is also prohibited.
This breed is hard to handle and needs a responsible owner and firm hand or it can be an overly aggressive breed.
Well-trained Filas can have great temperaments and can be very obedient, but due to their suspicious natures they are prone to nip in situations that they don’t understand.
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What the Fila Brasileiro Looks Like
Fila Brasileiros are Mastiffs with large bones and loose skin.
The large and heavy dog has a deep muzzle, large ears, a well-muscled back and neck, and a broad and deep chest.
Although large, the Fila Brasileiro appears harmonious and powerful.
It has a camel-like gait and a head lower than the backline.
Fila Brasileiros are smooth-coated, short-coated dogs that are usually black or fawn in color, except that they can also be mouse-grey, black and tan, blue, dappled, and entirely white.
A Fila Brasileiro must be brushed weekly to keep its coat healthy and clean.
The Fila Brasileiro is a fiercely determined dog and should be put through obedience training early to keep them focused and pliant to firm handlers.
The Fila Brasileiro is not recommended for homes with small children as it may not tolerate them well.
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How Much is the Fila Brasileiro Puppy?
The average price of a Fila Brasileiro puppy is $1800. The price of a Fila Brasileiro puppy ranges from $1800 to $1800.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Fila Brasileiro. These factors include what health records the Fila Brasileiro puppy has, the lineage of the Fila Brasileiro puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Fila Brasileiro based on the many factors that determine the price of the Fila Brasileiro puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Fila Brasileiro puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Fila Brasileiro breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Fila Brasileiro Growth
New Fila Brasileiro owners need to know about the growth of their Fila Brasileiros. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Fila Brasileiro will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Fila Brasileiro early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Fila Brasileiro puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Fila Brasileiro at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Fila Brasileiro
What Colors do Fila Brasileiros Have?
Fila Brasileiros come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Brown / Chocolate
- Brindle
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
How Long Fila Brasileiros Live
The lifespan of the Fila Brasileiro is typically from 9 to 12 years.
Fila Brasileiros live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
Good Names for Fila Brasileiros
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Fila Brasileiro ranked by popularity:
- Pattas
- Fletch
- Maverick
- Marshall
Health Problems in Fila Brasileiros and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Fila Brasileiro is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Fila Brasileiro puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Fila Brasileiro breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Fila Brasileiros for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Fila Brasileiros here.
How to Take Care of Fila Brasileiro
To take good care of your Fila Brasileiro, you need to make sure that you groom your Fila Brasileiro regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Fila Brasileiro regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Fila Brasileiro`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Fila Brasileiro daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Fila Brasileiro.
Also, you need to feed your Fila Brasileiro high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Fila Brasileiro from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Fila Brasileiro and how much food to feed the Fila Brasileiro at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Fila Brasileiro has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Fila Brasileiro needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Fila Brasileiros
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Fila Brasileiro.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Fila Brasileiro:
- Afador (75 percent match with Fila Brasileiro). Learn more about the Afador here.
- Cane Corso (76 percent match with Fila Brasileiro). Learn more about the Cane Corso here.
- Dogo Argentino (80 percent match with Fila Brasileiro). Learn more about the Dogo Argentino here.
- Boerboel (78 percent match with Fila Brasileiro). Learn more about the Boerboel here.
- Catahoula Bulldog (75 percent match with Fila Brasileiro). Learn more about the Catahoula Bulldog here.
Other Things to Know About Fila Brasileiros
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Fila Brasileiro that you need to know about the Fila Brasileiro breed: