The Neapolitan Mastiff or Italian Mastiff, is a large, ancient dog breed. This massive
breed is often used as a guard and defender of family and property due to their protective
instincts and their fearsome appearance.
Size and proportion
According to American Kennel Club standards, male Neapolitan Mastiffs should measure 26–31 inches
at the withers, weigh 130–155 pounds, while females should measure 24–29 inches and
weigh 110–130pounds. Body length should be 10–15% greater than height.
Temperament The Neapolitan Mastiff is fearless and extremely
protective of its home and family. They prefer to be with their family by staying around
the home outside at all times guarding, which is their natural instinct. The Neapolitan
Mastiff rarely barks unless under provocation, renowned for sneaking up on intruders as opposed
to first alerting them of its presence. Neapolitan Mastiffs, as a breed, are extremely
intelligent dogs with a tendency to be independent thinkers. They learn quickly, which is both
good and bad, since this guardian breed needs extensive proper socialization to learn to
accept strangers, especially within the home; without proper early socialization and training,
these dogs are likely to become aggressive towards strangers and unfamiliar dogs. Like
with other breeds, forceful training methods, "alpha roles", and a general "dominance" mentality
will not work with these dogs, especially since it is difficult to try to physically
dominate a dog that is nearly as large as an adult human; if one wants a well mannered
dog, one should prevent problems before they happen by using positive training methods,
beginning socializing early, and continuing socialization throughout life.
The Neapolitan Mastiff is not a breed for most people, and certainly not a dog for beginners.
Neapolitans must be well socialized with people, especially children, as Neos are large, powerful
dogs and do not always know their own strength. Additionally, young children have young friends,
and even with extensive socialization and training, Neapolitans will be wary of strangers
and protective of their family, which can be disastrous for small children. Most of
the time, they will protect their owners with their lives.
Additional protection training is unnecessary because they are natural guard dogs and always
have been. As with every breed, obedience training is very important. The Neo is very
tolerant of pain due to the breed's early fighting background and the fact the skin
is loose on the body, so it is important to routinely check for health problems, as a
Neo may not behave differently when injured or ill. They also are renowned for drooling
especially after drinking or if they get excited. Health
The Neo has some specific health concerns. The most common is Cherry eye. Others include:
Hip dysplasia Ectropion
Entropion Elbow dysplasia
Sebaceous adenitis Progressive retinal atrophy
Hypothyroidism Cardiomyopathy
Bloat Skin infections between skin folds called
Pyoderma Anesthetic Sensitivity
Additionally, Neos do not do well in hot weather, and are prone to heatstroke. Like most giant
breeds, the Neapolitan Mastiff is not particularly long-lived, averaging 7 to 9 years, however,
with a proper biologically appropriate diet, safe exercise, and proper weight maintenance,
there is no reason that the average Neo cannot live beyond that.
Care and maintenance
When it comes to exercise, Neapolitans are not a very active breed as their energy tends
to be short lived and their weight causes stress to their joints when excessive. However,
they can and will have short, extremely powerful bursts of energy.
History
The Neapolitan Mastiff is one of the Molosser type of dogs, which probably descend from
a common stock; whether this was the Molossus attested in antiquity is controversial.
Despite centuries of popularity throughout Europe, this type of dog was almost lost after
World War II. Soon after the war, Italian painter Piero Scanziani established a breeding
kennel to turn the mastiff-type dogs of Italy into a formal breed which was then named the
Neapolitan Mastiff and English Mastiff was used to help in this process. A Neapolitan
Mastiff has set the record for giving birth to 24 puppies, although 4 of them didn't survive.
Neapolitan Mastiffs were also trained to bait bulls, bears and jaguars.
Neapolitan Mastiffs in the media Alan from the film Babe: Pig in the City.
Fang from the Harry Potter films. Pansy from the Burke series of novels by Andrew
Vachss. Sweetie from Robert K. Tanenbaum's Butch Karp
novels. A Neapolitan was featured in the movie American
Gangster as a domestic pet belonging to an Italian Mafia Boss Dominic Cattano.
A Neapolitan Mastiff appears in a scene in the movie DragonHeart.
A Neapolitan Mastiff appears in the Movie "Hotel for Dogs"
A Neapolitan Mastiff appears in a scene in the movie "Belly".
Julius from the Argeneau Family novels is a Neapolitan Mastiff.
References
External links