Brazilian Mastiff, also known as Fila Brasileiro, Brazilian Rottweiler, Brazilian Fila, Fila Brasileira, Cão de Fila Brasileiro, or Cão-de-Fila, is a breed of dog with a typical Mastiff appearance.
The Brazilian Mastiff is the national dog of Brazil and one of the two well-known local breeds in Brazil, the other being Brazilian Tracking Dog.
It has a robust and large physique, but it does not affect its agile movements. With sturdy and powerful bones, its structure is compact, resembling a right-angled framework, but with proportional body parts that are very suitable. Generally, females appear gentler, which makes it easy to distinguish them from males.
Brave, calm, decisive, and confident, it is highly aggressive and fierce. It is wary of strangers but obedient to its owner and gentle towards children. It requires strict and appropriate training to be controlled.
It has an excellent tracking ability and was originally bred to track runaway slaves. Once it sets its sights on a target, the chances of escape are almost zero.
The Brazilian Mastiff, originated from Brazil in the 19th century. It is a descendant of English Mastiffs, Bloodhounds, and Bulldogs in the 15th century. It inherited loose skin and a keen sense of smell from the Bloodhounds, giving it extraordinary tracking abilities. From the English Mastiffs, it inherited a compact body structure, courage, and a vigilant nature. The Bulldogs contributed to its unforgiving rash and intense temper.
Then their ancestors were brought to Central America by Spanish and Portuguese settlers, and later crossed with European breeds such as Bulldogs, Mastiffs, and hunting dogs, resulting in the Brazilian Mastiff. It was widely used to guard estates, herd cattle and sheep, and subdue wild animals such as mountain cats. When it finds prey, instead of attacking, it holds the prey until the hunter arrives. In Brazil's slave society, this unique ability earned it a good reputation because it could deliver escaped slaves intact to their owners. Its elegance and tracking ability made it popular in North America and Europe as well.
In 1954, the first batch of Brazilian Filas arrived in Germany. Its strong and powerful physique provides a great sense of security and is used by owners to guard livestock and participate in competitions. It is responsible for protecting homes and driving away livestock. In the past, it was also used to hunt American leopards, but now this is rarely done.
Brazilian Mastiff's large size determines that it needs enough space to live and also requires sufficient time for exercise, so it is not suitable for urban living.
Brave and courageous, very suspicious of strangers, but very loyal to the owner, it is a very valuable guard dog.
Owners of Brazilian Filas must have experience in raising dogs and knowledge about dog behavior, and they are not suitable for pampered people, because conventional training methods will make them bored. If properly educated, they will remain loyal to you and your family, and become a good companion worth raising.
However, due to its large size and innate aggression, many countries ban the breeding of this breed.
Toes Inflammation
Symptoms: The dog frequently licks the toes, and the area between the toes becomes red and moist, and severe cases can lead to limping.
Preparation: iodine, erythromycin ointment, Elizabethan collar
Method: Wear an Elizabethan collar, remove the hair from the foot clean, wash with soapy water, or wipe with iodine. After the inflamed area is dry, apply erythromycin ointment between the toes once a day, repeat for a week.
Ear Mites
Symptoms: The dog scratches and shakes its ears, the dog's ears have a strong sour odor, accompanied by increased tear stains, hair loss in the ears, dark brown secretions and earwax.
Preparation: ear cleanser, ear wash solution
Method: Clean the hair inside the dog's ears, then irrigate the ear canal with ear wash solution or vik ear cleanser, gently massage the base of the ear for 30 seconds. When the dog shakes out the cleaner, use a cotton ball to wipe off the secretions and gently cleanse the auricle and ear canal.
Skin Disease
Symptoms: The dog feels itchy, the skin becomes red, itchy, and the dog scratches randomly. The fur becomes dull and rough, there is more dandruff, and even patches fall off.
Preparation: saline water, topical ointment or skin spray, vitamin B.
Method: Put an Elizabethan collar on the dog to prevent scratching and licking. Cut the hair around the problematic skin of the dog, then rinse with saline water for sterilization, and then apply ointment or use spray, along with antibiotics and vitamin B.
The Brazilian Mastiff is a very fierce breed of dog, looking quite scary, but they are intelligent, have a strong acceptance ability, and learn things quickly. It is best to start training and restraining them from their puppyhood, and they must not be indulged too much, allowing them to do as they please. They need to learn how to get along peacefully and harmoniously with humans and other dogs. If properly educated, they will be loyal to their owners and their families, and they can be gentle family companions.
Owners of this breed must have experience in raising dogs and knowledge about canine behavior, as common training methods may bore them. Once they accept the education methods of their owners, this strong, agile and passionate breed of dog in their youth is easy to train and obedient.
The Brazilian Mastiff needs close contact with their families and must respect their position in the group. They are absolutely unsuitable for living in a kennel and are not suitable for people who live a privileged life.
1. Cannot bathe frequently
When bathing a dog, of course, it cannot be too frequent. The frequency of bathing depends on the dog's hygiene condition. If the weather is hot in summer, you can bathe them a few more times, and in winter, you can reduce it by one or two times. But in general, it should not exceed 5 times. Otherwise, it will damage their fur and skin!
2. Brush regularly
Dogs shed hair almost every day, especially in spring and autumn. Seasonal shedding is more severe. To promote good hair growth, regular brushing is an important step. Pet owners can use pet-specific brushes to help the dog remove naturally shed hair and prevent matting. Brushing them once in the morning and evening for about five minutes is enough.
3. Sunbathe
Sunbathing is beneficial for the growth of a dog's fur. Besides making the fur more shiny, allowing the dog to sunbathe can also help kill bacteria. While sunbathing, you can let the dog exercise a bit, which can improve their physical fitness, promote blood circulation, and help grow healthier fur.
4. Deworming
Poor fur condition is closely related to parasites. Parasites absorb a large amount of nutrients from the dog's body, depriving them of essential nutrients. Therefore, deworming is indispensable. It is recommended to do internal and external deworming at the same time. Moreover, deworming drugs can cause significant damage to the dog's stomach and intestines. Therefore, it is advisable to feed them with probiotics regularly to alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort.
5. Pay attention to diet
If you want your dog to have a beautiful coat, it must have a good nutritional foundation and pay attention to its daily diet. On one hand, feed them with nutritious and healthy dog food, choose a brand that is suitable for them and provides sufficient nutrients to meet their needs. On the other hand, you can also give them a moderate amount of lean meat, boiled egg yolks, and vegetable oil.
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