Breeds / Giant
Fila Brasileiro puppies
Courageous and famously loyal, the Fila Brasileiro is docile and tolerant with their own family but deeply suspicious of strangers. They are a dog for very experienced owners only.
The facts
- Size class Giant
- Country of origin Brazil
- Adult weight 40.8 to 82.1 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 90 to 181 lb
- Adult height 61 to 76 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Short, smooth and dense
- Typical lifespan 8 to 11 years
- Good with children Not published
- Good with other dogs Not published
About the Fila Brasileiro
The Fila Brasileiro is a large molosser from Brazil, probably descended from English Mastiffs and Iberian breeds brought over in the colonial period, and used on plantations and ranches to guard property, protect livestock from large predators and handle cattle. They have a heavy, rectangular body in thick, loose skin, drooping eyelids that give a melancholy look, long pendant ears and a short, smooth, dense coat in brindle, fawn or black. The FCI standard asks for males of 65 to 75 cm and at least 50 kg and females of 60 to 70 cm and at least 40 kg, while Wisdom Panel gives a span of 61 to 76 cm and 40.8 to 82.1 kg. They also move with a pace sometimes called a camel step, the legs on one side moving together.
The FCI standard describes a dog that is obedient with their family and extremely tolerant with children, but Wisdom Panel calls them possessive and territorial, and Embark warns that even a well socialised Fila is likely to treat anyone outside the household, guests included, as a threat. They are athletic for their bulk and need plenty of daily exercise inside secure fencing, while the coat needs only an occasional brush, with regular checks of those long ears. Early, continued socialisation is essential, and a high prey drive means small pets are at risk. The breed is banned in the UK and named in New Zealand's Dog Control Act, so check the law where you live before considering one.
The law in your country
This breed or type is restricted in some places. Check the current rules where you live before you commit to a puppy.
United Kingdom
The Fila Brasileiro is one of the banned types of dog in the UK, alongside the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and XL Bully. It is against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed from one, and a dog can only be kept with a valid Certificate of Exemption, which requires them to be neutered, microchipped, kept on a lead and muzzled in public, and kept somewhere secure. Whether a dog counts as a banned type depends on what they look like rather than their breed or name. From 1 November 2026 a child under 12 must not be left in close contact with a banned dog in a private place, such as a home or garden, without adult supervision. Source.
New Zealand
The Fila Brasileiro is listed, as the Brazilian Fila, as a breed of dog in Schedule 4 of the Dog Control Act 1996. A dog that belongs wholly or mainly to that breed cannot be imported, and the local council must classify them as menacing, which means they must be muzzled in any public place and the council can require them to be neutered. Source.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Fila Brasileiro puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A giant breed puppy at eight weeks is already heavy and will keep growing for up to two years. Controlled growth matters more here than in any other size class, so a large breed specific puppy food and no overfeeding. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip dysplasia; Vetstreet advises that breeding dogs have their hips x-rayed and graded at 2 years old, and that both parents have OFA hip ratings of fair, good or excellent along with elbow evaluations and eye clearances
- Gastric torsion (bloat), a twisting of the stomach that the breed may be prone to
Your Fila Brasileiro puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Giant for a Fila Brasileiro.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 40.8 to 82.1 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Kit sizes: crate 48 inch (48 x 30 x 32 in, 122 x 76 x 81 cm) for an adult of up to 82.1 kg, the largest size in the chart, which tops out at 49.9 kg, so measure the dog before you buy; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.
Buying guides for this
Other giant breeds
Previous: Field Spaniel · Next: Finnish Lapphund
Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.
Sources
- wisdompanel.com for adult weight and height, life expectancy and energy, grooming and the temperament ratings
- fci.be for coat type and country of origin
- vetstreet.com for health notes
- gov.uk for the legal status notes
- Health notes from Fila Brasileiro breed information at https://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/fila-brasileiro. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
No published figure for the good with children rating and the good with other dogs rating, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Photo: Pleple2000, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.