Base colour
Brindle, fawn and black
- A black mask may or not be present.
- Permissible: In all colours white marks on the feet, chest and tip of tail
- Undesirable: White markings on other parts of the coat are considered a fault
About the Fila Brasileiro
Origin: Brazil
- Typical life span
- 9-11 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 50-82 kg
- Female
- 40-73 kg
- Height
- Male
- 65-75 cm
- Female
- 60-70 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs
- Origin
- Brazil
- Also called
- Fila Brasileno
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Fila Brasileiro?
Large, powerful Molosser-type mastiff guardian breed with distinctive loose skin, natural guarding instincts, and tracking ability
Fila Brasileiro history and origins
Developed in Brazil from Mastiff, Bulldog, and Bloodhound ancestry for plantation work, estate guarding, cattle herding, and tracking large game. Recognized by FCI but not AKC-recognized.
Fila Brasileiro appearance and size
Males typically weigh 50-82 kg and stand 65-75 cm at the shoulder; females 40-73 kg and 60-70 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Watch Dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Courage, determination and outstanding braveness are part of its characteristics. With its owners and family it is docile, obedient and extremely tolerant with children. remaining unperturbed by Its loyalty is proverbial, insistently seeking the company of its master. It displays a calm disposition, distinctive self-assurance and self- confidence, strange noises or circumstances. An unsurpassed guardian of properties, it also instinctively indulges in big game hunting and cattle herding. While one of its characteristics is a natural aloofness towards strangers especially in its own territory, it must be susceptible to controlled handling, especially in the show ring. In repose it is calm; noble and full of self-assurance. Never displaying a bored or absent expression. When alert, its expression should reflect determination conveyed by a firm, penetrating look”
Quoted from FCI standard n°225. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Watch Dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 2 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Fila Brasileiro
What you get with the Fila Brasileiro
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Watch Dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Courage, determination and outstanding braveness are part of its characteristics”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Short, smooth, dense and close to the body”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Fila Brasileiro
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible and undesirable.
Coat
Short, smooth, dense and close to the body
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°225 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at the withers: Males: from 65 cm to 75 cm. Females: from 60 cm to 70 cm. Weight Males: minimum: 50 kg. Females: minimum: 40 kg”
- FCI gives a bound on one side only, so there is no range to state.
Quoted from FCI standard n°225. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Fila Brasileiro in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Fila Brasileiro
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Fila Brasileiro on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Fila Brasileiro owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Fila Brasileiro breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.