Description

The Neapolitan Mastiff is an enormous guardian dog, with loose skin and a very wrinkled face. The dog is heavily built, with a big chunky head and pendulous dewlap. The ears are naturally floppy, and while they were often cropped in the past, this practise is banned in many areas. The chest is broad and deep, with a strong and wide back, covered by strong muscles. The legs are thick and powerful, and the front feet are slightly turned out.

Origin: Italy

Look

This is a very wrinkly breed. The Neapolitan Mastiff has loose skin all over its body, but especially on its face and neck. Their fur is short and dense, and comes in three main colours: tawny, mahogany, blue, or black.

The Neapolitan Mastiff is fairly easy to groom, and only shed moderately. They have short fur, so only needs the occasional bath. Be sure to keep their wrinkles, eyes, and ears clean.

Health

The Neapolitan Mastiff is prone to some health conditions:

• Hip dysplasia
• Gastric dilatation volvulus (bloat)
• Entropion
• Ectropion
• Elbow dysplasia
• Cardiomyopathy
• Cherry eye
• Cleft palate
• Demodicosis
• Fold dermatitis
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
• Hypothyroidism
• Sebaceous adenitis
• Anaesthetic sensitivity

At Newdoggy.com, we recommend that you buy your dog from reputable breeders, who use genetic testing and good breeding practices to remove genetic conditions from their breeding lines.

Learning

Due to the size and protective nature of the Neapolitan Mastiff, proper training and socialisation is needed from a young age. In their “teenage” years, the Neapolitan Mastiff can be stubborn, so the earlier that you start, the better. Your dog will need firm, fair, and consistent guidance, but your efforts will be rewarded with a wonderful and loyal pet. Neapolitan Mastiffs do not respond well to harsh training, and need patient encouragement during training.

Temperament

As puppies, Neapolitan Mastiffs are curious and active, though as they age they become calmer (and sleepier!). This breed is courageous and protective. They rarely bark, and prefer to sneak up on intruders instead of barking a warning. If correctly trained and socialised, the Neapolitan Mastiff is a laidback and gentle giant that is perfectly happy lazing around at home.

Living with

Be prepared for drool! The Neapolitan Mastiff has loose lips, and is very prone to slobbering. They are also prone to gassiness, and tend to snore and snort. Neapolitan Mastiffs are quite lazy, but daily light exercise is important to stop your Mastiff getting fat.

They have a reputation for clumsiness, which is somewhat unfairly earned. The fact is, a large dog like this will probably knock things over accidentally if kept in a cramped or small home. As such, they are not ideal apartment dogs, and do better in large homes.

Despite their size and strength, the Neapolitan Mastiff is a good family dog. They get on fine with children, but smaller children could find themselves accidentally knocked over by this enormous dog. A Neapolitan Mastiff is a great deterrent to intruders, but they are rarely aggressive without good reason. This breed is probably not the best choice for a first time dog owner, due to their stubbornness. Keep in mind that they can be aggressive to strange dogs, so be cautious if you plan on visiting the dog park.