Opinions Needed.. PRETTY please..

[Upendi&Mina]

I guess I'll go ahead and say it, I think getting the second pup would be a bad idea ESPECIALLY if you're having reservations about it. This is your first Fila and I'm sure you'll find some things out with her that you can't get from reading about them, I would personally wait and if you want to add a second later one do that.

 

[crazy_paws]

IMO, if you are dealing with a breed that is totally new to you, it would be ideal to focus on the existing puppy.

Someone with breed experience might find it easier, but two puppies is very, very demanding on the owner.

 

[SizzleDog]

In my opinion - if you're having doubts, on the fence, etc.... DO NOT get the second puppy. Raising littermates is tough enough without adding your uncertainty into the mix. It sounds like your BF is only thinking about the "fun" and the "cool" of having two littermate Filas, leaving YOU to bear the brunt of the responsibility. That's not fair to you, your child OR the puppies.

May I ask, who is the breeder? Did they not have anyone else that was "in line" for a puppy?

 

[Renee750il]

This is where Linda's experience is gold, lol. She's done it -- doing it.

Mine weren't littermates and I had help from Bimmer, as much as I had hindrance from Charley and his mother. I'd also raised one before, Buffy.

It's going to boil down to YOUR temperament as well as the pups' personalities. Some are easier than others. What coat is the brother? Believe it or not, there does seem to be a temperament difference!

 

[Mama-to-Elle]

I'm at about a 99% not gonna happen rate.. LOL

Sorry I wasted everyones time asking, I just was really on the fence and knew you'd all have knowledgeable responses...

I will let you know when I break the boys heart later, maybe I should go bake cookies first or something...

Renee, he is a Brindle, I have a pic on my cell phone. Let me see if I can get it uploaded.

 

[Lizmo]

This is where Linda's experience is gold, lol. She's done it -- doing it.

^ this. Listen to others and their advice. But, really listen to Renee and Linda and even Nikki (Buddy'sParents). We can tell you our opinions, but owning a Fila is different. You really need to experience it first hand to know what to do. I feel the same way about Border Collies. Owning/experiencing is alot different than researching/hearing.

I hope that all makes sense and comes out right, haha. My point in trying to say all this was, really listen to those who have raised a Fila and trained a Fila and lived with a Fila.

 

[filarotten]

I'm glad you asked...I like people who ask questions and want to learn.

First of all you need to figure out what kind of person you are? Are you good under pressure? Do you mind having two dogs surround you at all times? Can you handle two large dogs talking to each other? They get very loud when they play at times...even as puppies. If one barks, the other one will also. Can you handle two puppies whining outside your bathroom door, or in the bathroom with you... one trying to lick your knees, the other trying to lick you face? Whatever Luna does, double it. While all Filas have certain traits, each dog has it's own personality, as well as each color has it's own personality traits. I personally think the males are a little easier than the females, but that is my personal opinion.

One thing I would definately do, is take them to obedience class. One with hubby, one with yourself. Your going to need them pretty well behaved. But, they are Filas, so they won't always be perfect in the obedience department, but they can be well behaved charmers. You will need to spend individual time with each dog, if nothing more than a walk around the block or a ride in the car. One will be a leader and one is going to be the follower...or in my case, one is the instigator. LOL

You definately need to discuss neutering or spaying with your hubby. I personally like a Fila to be as close to the age of 2 as possible so the growth plates are closed. However, Filas can have sneaky silent heats and you do NOT want to have your male getting to your female since they are brother and sister. So, you will need to decide what you are going to do with that situation. Luna will probably come in around 6 mos, but you never know...

As far as 90 acres, you need to look beyond that...are they going to be living in the house? If so, how big will your house be? A house can shrink with large dogs.

Also, what are their temperaments like? What are the parents temperaments like? A hard puppy is a lot of work as well as responsibility. While they may be precious little love bugs to you and your family, they can be tricky to deal with at the vet, or in public when they are young and hard. The ojeriza can kick in around three months and you have a baby that isn't sure what he/she should be doing. If your breeder tells you they have a typical Fila temperament, ask them what he means by that? I have seen that term used and I don't think that is a good catch all term for Filas. There really can be variations in the temperaments. You need to know specifics, so you have an idea what you are up against in the future. Mine have all had hard temperaments, but each one has had the ojeriza kick in at different times. Titus was about 2.5 months and that was rather tricky. If they have a mild temperament it will be much easier on you.
Potty training takes a little longer I think, but it's workable. But, that would be two of any thing IMO.

Of course, I think Filas are awesome dogs and I love having mine. There are advantages to having more than one. They will entertain each other, you will get double lovings, double protection, double fun and double the amount of sense of humor. You will however get very little time alone. LOL Oh, and tails are hell on the christmas tree.

Me if I'm going to have two puppies from the same litter, I would rather they were large dogs. I probably couldn't handle two small dogs from the same litter. I'm not that calm of a person. LOL

And the number one thing with a Fila...socialize, socialize, socialize, socialize. and when your tired of socializing, do it again. Throw socialization parties if you can. Let us know what you decide. I'm sure we will all help you whatever you decide.

How much help is hunny bunny going to be? If he really does help you with all aspects it may be a very rewarding experience for all of you. Good bonding time for the family. But, once again you need to know the temperaments of the mom and dad and pups. If they are hard, you will probably be biting off more than you can chew.

Oh my goodness, I just read...is he a dark brindle? I'm in love...the easiest of the colors. You will fall deeply in love with him. If he is a light or reverse brindle...don't attempt it.

 

[milos_mommy]

Don't be sorry for asking...I think a lot of things in this thread are good points for anyone considering getting littermates to think about and hopefully some will read it and it will help them. Plus, even if you're 99% leaning towards "no", it's a good idea to know why.

 

[AllieMackie]

Seconding milos_mommy, don't apologize! This is an open, public forum that is frequently Googled; no questions are stupid questions, you just may find we're passionate about many subjects.

Linda's post is excellent.

 

[Renee750il]

That's why I wanted you to get a chance to hear from Linda

Be warned, too. They're kinda like really, really good chocolate -- it's hard to stop at one . . .

I meant to mention this earlier, and Linda's post reminded me: start taking your Fila to the vet's office for meet & greets NOW. Have all the staff pet her, give her treats, etc., and make sure the vet gets to know her, NOW. It will make life much easier. A good vet won't charge you for the visits and will, in fact, be grateful. One of the vets I use has had experience with the breed before and *lovingly* refers to them as "alligators with fur," but he has loved all of mine because I made sure they got to know him and his staff.

 

[Mama-to-Elle]

Thank you SO SO much for that Linda. I really greatly appreciate all the time you took to type that.

As much as we both would LOVE to have another Fila. I think the smart "house mom" in me has decided, we need to dedicate all of our energy currently to Luna and my daughter.

Luna already is showing signs of dislike to strangers, and is really protective over our daughter. She is 12 weeks old now. (The dog, not the kid, our daughter is 4, lol)

As far as our personalities go, I think the double the love, and double the fun would be worth double the trouble, our house is more then big enough, have a big enough car, etc BUT.. I also just don't know, to be quite frank. I am a new Fila owner and I want to do as right by her and this breed as I can.

So for now, its just gonna be us and Luna.

Her parents had varying personalities. Her mother was VERY protective of her family, they always had to put her away, when guests would arrive and she didn't take to many strangers at all. Only a handful. Her father, while was protective, was alot warmer, even to new people. I met him through the fence, and once he could tell his "mom" was comfortable with me, he was kissing my hand through the fence, and giving me goo goo ga ga Fila eyes.. I was able to come in, pet him freely, and he was fine with my presence.

I am not sure what that means for our girl, but we are working our HARDEST on socialization ,and plan on continuing to do so, as much as we can.

Again, thank you so so so much for all the info.

PS- Renee and Linda, do you mind my asking the temperment differences in the coats? That is really intriguing to me.

 

[Mama-to-Elle]

and :rofl1: about Alligators with fur!!

 

[filarotten]

Was Dad a dark Brindle? The females are a little more reactive than the males, IMO.

I say... the Dark Brindles are usually the most laid back of the Filas, the fawns are the most hyper active, and the light brindles are a mixture.

 

[Mama-to-Elle]

Was Dad a dark Brindle? The females are a little more reactive than the males, IMO.

I say... the Dark Brindles are usually the most laid back of the Filas, the fawns are the most hyper active, and the light brindles are a mixture.

Dad was a Fawn, Mom was a Dark Brindle.

Luna of course is a Fawn.

 

[Renee750il]

I have a weakness for red fawn bitches. They are at the top of the list for being conniving, devious, and purely enjoying all the perks of Fila-ness, lol. They also seem to be the drivey-est. Mine have been very adaptable and capable of learning to behave differently in different situations, but Linda's dark brindle male, Brutus, has the same kind of ability to use good judgment.

 

[Mama-to-Elle]

We were going to get a brindle female, but when we went to meet and greet the puppies, we just really loved Luna. She was the sweetest, not as playful as the other pups while we were there, but just so sweet, and was larger in size.

The un playful trait in her flew out the window, about 20 minutes of being home. LOL. She has a definite wild streak, and she sure is smart.

 

[Mama-to-Elle]

And for those requesting them, there are some new Luna pics going up on the photo board in a few

 

[Renee750il]

We were going to get a brindle female, but when we went to meet and greet the puppies, we just really loved Luna. She was the sweetest, not as playful as the other pups while we were there, but just so sweet, and was larger in size.

The un playful trait in her flew out the window, about 20 minutes of being home. LOL. She has a definite wild streak, and she sure is smart.

She may turn out to be a red -- she sure is sounding right :rofl1:

 

[Romy]

On the subject of color being linked to temperament, there was a really good breeder-vet interview I read where he talked about it. Wish I could find it now. :wall:

Basically, a borzoi breeder-vet with a very large kennel began to notice after many many years and many many litters, that he could predict the temperament and phenotype of the puppies based on their color. He said in the article he suspected it had to do with gene segregation and the distance of the genes from one another.

I guess a good example might be red hair and blue eyes in humans. They are two separate traits, inherited independently. But most red haired people you meet also have blue eyes. It's been suggested that the genes for eye and hair color are close together on the chromosome and often end up passed in the same "clump". Sort of linked. Not that it happens every time, but it does happen more often than not.

In a population with a smaller gene pool (filas), that kind of linkage is probably a lot more predictable than if you said, "All brindle dogs are more laid back," because not every population of dogs have the trait of being laid back. *coughdutchshepherdscough*

It would also explain why breeders of the various types of Belgian shepherds will swear the different coat colors and types have different temperaments, even when they are littermates. It would be interesting to know how close the genes are.

 

[corgipower]

Basically, a borzoi breeder-vet with a very large kennel began to notice after many many years and many many litters, that he could predict the temperament and phenotype of the puppies based on their color. He said in the article he suspected it had to do with gene segregation and the distance of the genes from one another.

It is an interesting topic.

I've been told by many corgi people that personality/temperament wise tris are almost a different breed from reds.