What the heck just happened?

I know I am going to be making several trips to mom and dads for the next few months, so I thought I came up with a brilliant idea. A pet sitter sells Innova and delivers so I thought, hmmm, this is perfect. He can deliver food every two weeks get to the know the dogs and when I have to leave, I can call him. The dogs will be familiar with him. Well my fila monster demon dog put an end to that idea. I don't know what got into him, but I have never been so embarrassed. He behaved so badly the pet sitter suggested a behaviorist. He was fine at first, he sat between me and the guy and behaved. But, as soon as Keith walked in the door, he started jumping in the air, turning circles, slammed into the wine cabinet moving it down the wall, he became deaf, couldn't hear his name or any commands. I had to loudly clap my hands to get his attention. He couldn't sit still.
I wanted to turn him into fila burgers and sell his shiny brindle coat on the open market.
What the heck happend?

Was it agression? Or maybe he was just super excited at meeting someone new.

Teenage ojeriza. Brutus had to show Keith how macho he is

Seriously, unless a pet sitter is a good family friend that has been around from the beginning and is in and out of the house frequently, a pet sitter is always a no-go with a Fila. Even then it might not work. They just aren't going to allow someone who isn't part of the daily family to come in the house, especially when you aren't there are they have the responsibility for keeping everything safe until you return.

I think Keith and Brutus are stuck roughing it together while you are gone . . .

Shiva, however, might make an exception if they were bringing her EVO

But, why the behaviour change? How do i prevent it from happening again?
Don't worry about the pet sitter. that put and end to that idea. Even keith disagreed with me on that idea.

I'm inclined to think he'll grow out of it . . . You might practice having Keith burst into the room while you've got Brutus next to you with your arm around his neck.

Lack of poise was really the issue, I think, and poise comes with age and confidence. Brutus really is a teenager.

JMO, but if I owned a Fila, I would not have anyone practice bursting into a room unless they planned on getting bitten.

Keith is Brutus' other person, lol! Brutus won't lay a tooth on him. He just needs to get used to sudden comings and goings to develop a bit more confidence.

They are exceedingly strange beasties, Red . . . there's a great deal of feline-type activity that goes on in those big heads.

Wont do any good with a stranger person.

My guy stopped letting strangers inside the house when he was around 8 months old. Meeting people outside and then walking in with them works alot better then trying to get him not to attack them

He doesnt get startled at all, he wont care if a family member rushes in and makes all kinds of noise, but if a stranger comes in... Yeah.

The only way to get him to behave is to have a person in there daily...

Besides, I think this is still a puppy thing. When he grows up he'll be much more reserved.

Orion, from what Filarotten told me, Brutus wasn't behaving defensively toward the guest, since he'd already been sitting in the room with him quietly. I think you're absolutely right about it being a puppy thing . . . chalk it up to puppy-ness, high spirits, Spring fever and just being Brutie, lol! Both of my grrrls have performed similar antics when they were Brutie's age.

Does sound like the teenage years. I had the same thing with Max my Anatolian. We were on the phone with breeders asking for help. We were told the same thing. It's the teenage years and once we get through this, it will be much better.

I am now blaming it on an overabundance of testosterone in the room.

I'm just not used to him being this way around company. He usually behaves quite well. Come to think of it, he has been full of p*** and vinegar the last few days. He has given poor Roxie heck.

Our pups have so many parallels. Just the other day Buckshot did almost the same exact thing. It was embarrasing. The same dog that wont get in or out of the truck was jumping three feet in the air and twisting like he was in a rodeo.

Buckshot still isn't jumping to get into the Van? lol How old is he now? I think Brutus was six months before he jumped on the bed and in the suv. I was so glad when he learned. He was getting really heavy.

if he doesn't ever react to another the same way i think you may want to give him a gold medal..this is why, a story and in advance i am sorry but i know no other way to make my point

i was taking pharmacology in prep for my perimedic license. A very tough class for me because i am horrible at math and one section was excuslively that..so a fellow classmate agreed to meet me at my apartment. He had difficulty memorizing the drugs and procedures, the part i excelled. Seemed like a win win situation. I had been going to school with him for a month, saw no reason to worry.
He arrived and at first all was good, he cracked the books and we began to quiz each other. Then he got up and began to pace. Started qouting scripture, his voice getting louder and louder. I am sitting there thinkin holy cow i got a full raving lunitic in my living room. (don't ever let that cat hear me praise him) THat was when Eddie, still a very young cat, under two years, leaped from the top of the upright piano and straight into the middle of this man's back with claws all embedded. He never did it again after this either. The guy was screaming and i said HOLD STILL>>as i removed eddie's claws one by one i said "EDDIE SAYS IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE NOW" and that is exactly what he did. I went to school the next day and never spoke to him again. Later i became dangerously ill and had to drop the course. Eddie knew.
In the past, Mary has known, and so has Bronki. I trust thier judgement if it is a situation that is "out of the norm". emphatically. I think they sense, smell, know danger when we can't detect it. I have another story that proves that point as well but will save it for another time.

It took quite awhile before Kharma would get into the car on her own - even though she was jumping up on the big round hay bales