Neapolitan Mastiff

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Neapolitan Mastiff - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_Mastiff

The Neapolitan Mastiff or Mastino Napoletano is an Italian breed of large dog. It descends from the traditional guard dogs of central Italy. It was recognised as a breed by the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana in 1949, and accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1956.

The breed is closely related to the Cane Corso.

History:
The Neapolitan Mastiff derives from the traditional catch and guard dogs of central Italy. Selection of the breed was begun in 1947 by Piero Scanziani, who had seen one at an exhibition in Naples in 1946. He drew up the first standard, which in 1949 was officially recognised by the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana. It received full acceptance from the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1956.

Characteristics:
The Neapolitan Mastiff is large and powerful, with a weight in the range 50–70 kg (110–150 lb) and a height at the withers of 60–75 cm (24–30 in) The length of the body is about 15% greater than the height.

The skin is abundant and loose, particularly on the head where it hangs in heavy wrinkles. The preferred coat colours are black, grey and leaden, but mahogany, fawn, fulvous, hazelnut, dove-grey and isabelline are also acceptable; all coats may be brindled, and minor white markings on the toes and chest are tolerated.

A Neapolitan Mastiff may be expected to live for up to 10 years. A survey in the United Kingdom found an average lifespan of 7 years, with some 16% living past the age of 9 years.

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Neapolitan Mastiff

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Neapolitan Mastiff

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Neapolitan Mastiff Dog Breed

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This type of dog is considered very heavy-bodied and has a firm and powerful grip. These dogs have been traced all the way back to Asia and the Middle East. Their main jobs were to protect homes, control the livestock, and fight intruders and big animals in battle, for example, lions and elephants.

Today’s Neapolitan Mastiff is said to be linked to huge Macedonian war dogs that Alexander the Great merged with short-haired dogs from India. This was around 330 BC. The resulting bloodline was referred to as the Molossus. This is considered to be the progenitor to several big dog breeds of modern times.

Their history then becomes a little more interesting when the Romans seized Greece and at the same time seized all of their Molossus dogs. Around 55 BC the Romans attacked and dominated Britain. The British had huge and striking Mastiff dogs that the Romans adored. These dogs fought courageously during war.

As you can probably image these two dogs were bred together and formed a super breed of huge war dogs referred to as Mastini which is Italian for Mastiff. The breed continued to expand its members and was refined over centuries of well functioning guard dogs. Yet, they were very secluded and remained unknown too the rest of the world.

Back in 1946 they were presented to the world at a Naples dog show. It was a man named Piere Scanziani who first saw the dog and instantly recognized what type of breed it was. He began campaign to persuade other dog aficionados to assist in bringing out the breed from the darkness so-to-speak. They went as far as drawing up an appeal so that the Italian Kennel Club would identify them under the name of Mastino Napoletano.

Later on, during 1970s, the Neapolitan Mastiff dog breed was recorded in America.. There were a few of these dogs that were already present in America at the time from Italian immigrants. However, nothing was official until the 1970’s. So, it didn’t take much time for the breed to become well-know and gain attention from dog aficionado. They were acknowledged by the AKC in 1996 and were official numbers of the AKC working group in 2004.

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Personality
Because this dog was bred for centuries as a family watchdog, it is very aloof and distrustful of strangers. The Neapolitan Mastiff loves kids but may be dominant towards other animals.

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A General Appearance of the Dog

The Neapolitan Mastiff is a serious, powerful, looking dog. It is muscular with a rather rectangular body, massive head, and wrinkled face. The facial wrinkles continue under the chin and down the neck to form a prominent dewlap. The skull is broad and flat on top, and the nose is large. The teeth meet in a scissors or level bite.

According to tradition established when the dogs were used in combat, the ears should be docked short (but many people keep them natural) and the very thick tail is cropped by one third.

Coat Color

The most common coat color is blue, though black is the next most common color.

Coat Type

The short, harsh coat is dense and smooth.

Height

Males 26-30 inches (65-75 cm.)
Females 24-28 inches (60-70 cm.)

Weight

Up to 165 pounds (74 kg.) The largest male Neapolitans may be nearly 200 pounds (90 kg.)

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Neapolitan mastiffs are massive and powerful dogs distinguished by their loose skin. They can grow to weigh more than 150 pounds! These guardians were recognized by the AKC in 2004.