Description

The Neapolitan Mastiff is a dog that is usually used as a guard to and defender of the property or their owner. The reason for this is because these dogs are massive in size and are heavy boned. They have loose skin all over their body which makes it look like they have wrinkles or folds. They are known for their stare, which is enough to scare off any intruder.

They are very loyal and protective of their owners. These dogs have a rectangular shape and their face is covered in heavy wrinkles and folds. These animals are not elegant by any nature. Their characteristic movement is rolling and lumbering. They have been compared to having the gait like a lion or a big cat, which means they are slow but fluid. This is usually because this breed of dog has loose joints, which causes them to have this gait.

Coat Description

These dogs have a coat that is smooth all over their body. It is short and dense also. You don’t want the coat to be longer than one inch and there should be no waves or curls in it. You want it to be straight instead. With this breed of dog you will usually find colors that range from solid coats of gray, which is also known as blue, tawny, black and mahogany. They will usually have white markings on their chest, throat from their chin to their chest, on the underside of their body, sheath and on their toes.

History

Piero Scanziani was the first one to reconstruct this breed in the 1940s. He found this breed in Vesuvius, Italy when there were almost none of them left in existence. He quickly found that this dog breed was steeped in 4000 years of historical presence that seemed to originate with the breeding of large massive dogs by the Sumerian and Mesopotamians.

This breed of dog has been used for many things. To the Romans they were used in wartime; they have been used to hunt deer and wild boar and to fight the wild animals in the circus and in arenas as gladiators. In the Roman villas of Campania they were used as guard dogs.

There have been many artifacts, statues and carvings done of these massive dogs. These animals came to America with Italian immigrants. One of the first people to bring them to America was Mr. Michael Sotille, Sr.

Temperament

When you own one of these dogs you have to be careful when they meet strangers because they are known for being wary of them. Around someone that they know is your family or friends they will be tolerant of them. These animals usually have a temperament that is steady and self confident, courageous, vigilant and intelligent. They have an air of regality about them that makes them different than other breeds of dogs. You will not usually find one of these dogs that are aggressive. They can always look fierce but this is because they are being watchful all the time with an intense focus.

When you own one of these dogs you may want to crate train them. This will prevent your things from getting ruined and will help keep your dog safe. Make sure that you start training with a crate at an early age so they learn faster.

You want to make sure that you let your dog socialize at an early age. This will teach them how to act around other people and other animals. If you have children then you will want a Neapolitan Mastiff that can be raised with them. When these animals are raised with kids they will come to love them and adore them. They don’t ever intentionally hurt people or kids but because of their massive size this does happen. So if the dog is going to be playing with kids then it is always a good idea to have someone supervising. Socializing with your Mastiff is very important because they have to have new experiences and situations all the time in order to know what to do and what not to do.

Health Problems

Dogs of any breed can develop health problems if you don’t watch for signs of trouble. Always know what your pet can get and what to watch for so that you can keep them healthy and with you for a lot of years. You always want to have a vet on hand just in case you should need them.

The main health problem for the Neapolitan Mastiff is cherry eyes. This is when the gland of the third eyelid gets inflamed, swells up, and if it pops out of place it will become even more inflamed, swollen and irritated until it becomes bloody and ulcerated and can cover half of the eye of the dog. This is also known as follicular conjunctivitis.

This breed of dog is not known to get skin problems like other breeds do even though they have all that extra skin on their bodies.

Here are some other health problems that this breed of dog is known to experience.

Panostetis – Commonly referred to as growing pains, which usually happens in the first year of their growing.

[-]Looseness in their joints, which is where they get their gait from.[/-]

[-]Bloat – This can be fatal to large dog breeds.[/-]

Too much exercise can cause your dog to become over heated. Playing rough with your animal can cause them to get joint injuries and other problems because these dogs are clumsy due to their size.

Grooming

Before you own one of these dogs you will want to make sure you know how to take care of them properly. With these dogs, because of their size it is always a good idea to keep a towel handy. These dogs being the huge size that they are will always be drooling no matter what they do.

They also have their own distinct odor, which can be described as woodsy. You can’t get rid of their scent no matter what you do but there are things you can do that will help. You can brush them weekly and brush their teeth. As well as giving them a bath on a regular basis. Most of the time you will find that these dogs have their ears and their tails cropped but that is your decision. These dogs will shed but they are one of the easiest breeds to care for.

Exercise

With this breed of dog you don’t want to exercise with them like you do other breeds. These dogs have a high pain tolerance so they won’t always let you know when they are hurt because they may not be aware of it themselves. So don’t play any rough or jumping games with these dogs. Take them for a walk or jog with them if they can tolerate it. It is important that you make sure your pet doesn’t get too much exercise or in this breed it can cause health problems. You have to remember that these dogs don’t stop growing and changing until they are age three.

Training

If you don’t start training this dog from a young age then you will find that they have dominance problems. You have to make sure that you are always firm and consistent but don’t be negative or rough with them. The best time to train this breed is at about four months because they will already be about 40 to 60 pounds. Trying to train them when they are heavier than that will be almost impossible.

This dog is known for being very intelligent so they will learn quickly. They will always do things slower than other dogs because of their massive size but they are always willing to try. You don’t want these dogs to take part in protection training or bite work because they already possess the natural protective instinct and they don’t need this training.