On the subject of Filas...

That's what I thought!

Renee, I wasn't talking about the sloping rear in Filas all together, but in these dogs in particular. They seem a lot more sloped than what I see, though it could be partially in the way they're standing, i suppose.

I agree. Thats the very first thing I noticed. I thought it looked like a deformity in my opinion. The dogs Renee posted do not have such long back legs and short front legs like the ones you posted.

If it helps, here is the breed standard: http://www.arba.org/FilaBS.htm

I tend to like dogs similar to the second batch you posted. While looks are important, I care much much more about temperament and a fila being the right match for us. I am really leaning towards the looks of basin filas, though I don't know much about their breeding practices as I've only looked.

Some of those show dogs did look exaggerated, but that's what you get when you have people who are breeding for a physical standard and a "look." Things start going to extremes - like the modern GSD

The thing that struck me about them was how slight of bone they are. Look at the working dogs I posted. See how heavy the bone is? Almost rawboned, and definitely rangy.