Neapolitan Mastiff
The Neapolitan Mastiff is a massive dog with thick, folded skin, a ferocious guard who scares off strangers only with his formidable appearance and at the same time the most loyal and faithful family friend.
Brief information
- Breed Name: Neapolitan Mastiff
- Country of Origin: Italy
- Weight: males 60-70 kg, females 50-60 kg
- Height (height at the withers): males 65-75 cm, females 60-68 cm
- Life expectancy: 9 – 11 years
Neapolitan Mastiff (or as it is also called – mastino neapolitano) is a brutal and massive dog with a sad expression of a folded muzzle. The huge watchdogs that accompanied the army of Alexander the Great on campaigns have a more than 2000-year history of the formation of the breed. Not suitable for novice dog breeders.
Breed characteristics
History
The ancestors of the Neapolitan mastiff were ancient fighting dogs that fought together with Roman legionnaires and spread across Europe in direct dependence on the expansion of Roman influence. Mastino's ancestors performed in the circus arena and were used in hunting. The breed is a close relative of the Cane Corso. The modern type of mastino originated in 1947 through the efforts of the breeder-breeder P. Scanciani.
Appearance
The Neapolitan mastiff belongs to the group of Molossian dog-like dogs. The body is of a stretched format, massive, powerful, with a loaded neck with a double chin, a deep and voluminous, very powerful chest, rather convex ribs, a wide withers and back and a slightly inclined, powerful, wide croup.
The head is short, massive, with a pronounced transition from the forehead to a short muzzle with powerful jaws, a large nose and hanging, fleshy, thick lips. The skull is flat, wide. The eyes are dark, rounded.
Ears set high, hanging down along the cheeks, flat, triangular in shape, small, mostly docked to the shape of an equilateral triangle.
The tail is thick at the base, slightly tapering and thinning towards the end. It hangs down to the hock joints, is docked by 1/3 of the length. The limbs are massive, muscular, with large rounded paws with arched, tightly compressed fingers.
The coat is short, hard, dense, smooth and thick.
Color black, gray, lead gray with black, brown (to red), red, fawn, sometimes with small white spots on the chest and paws. Brindle is possible (against the background of any of the above colors).
Character
The Neapolitan Mastiff is a non—aggressive, balanced, obedient, alert, calm, fearless, loyal and noble dog. In a homely atmosphere, she is friendly and sociable. Has an excellent memory. Treats all family members well. Very rarely barks, distrustful of strangers. Likes to dominate other dogs. Education and training are required from an early age.
Specialization and content features
is widely used as a guard dog. A wonderful companion for a physically active person. Needs a lot of space and serious physical activity. Regular combing of the wool with a brush and care of the folds of the skin are necessary.