Neapolitan Mastiff Information
The Neapolitan mastiff, or Mastino, is the Italian breed of mastiff type. This is a very old breed, but was not recognized by the American Kennel Club until 2004 and is now a part of the working group breeds. This breed comes in gray (or blue), black, mahogany and tawny, and is considered a giant breed.
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History
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The Neapolitan Mastiff has been developed in the Italian peninsula for centuries. The breed descends from the molossus, the Greek war dog, such as those used by Alexander the Great. The molossus was created by crossing Macedonian and Epirian war dogs with a short-haired breed from India, and later the Romans crossed the molossus with the British mastiff dogs to create an even larger dog. After the dogs were no longer used for fighting, the dogs became family protectors.
Temperament
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A Neapolitan mastiff loves to be around his owners to the point of following you around all day. Though bred to be guardians, a Neapolitan mastiff is expected to be open to the presence of strangers. When you are raising a Neapolitan mastiff baby, the United States Neapolitan Mastiff Club (USNMC) recommends you spend a lot of time socializing the puppy to people and new territories. Some Neapolitan mastiffs can be stubborn when training or shy around strangers.
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Appearances
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One of the most important characteristics of the Neapolitan mastiff breed are the wrinkles. The head, especially, should be covered in wrinkles, and the rest of the dog's body should have thick, loose skin. The breed should be a huge dog, not only in height, but also in stature and girth. Male Neapolitan mastiffs are usually 26 and 29 inches tall at the top of the shoulder, and can weigh between 140 and 170 pounds. Female dogs generally grow to be a little bit smaller.
Clean-up
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Neapolitan mastiffs are droolers. The breed is especially prone to drooling after getting hot, becoming nervous, eating or drinking water. The Neapolitan mastiff dog also has a smell peculiar to the breed that may be off-putting to some. Also, Neapolitan mastiffs can be prone to scattering dog kibble all over the floor during meal times.
Care
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The USNMC suggests puppy purchasers crate train the puppies to prevent the puppies from developing separation anxiety as the puppies grow older. Since these dogs are prone to following owners around the house, it is necessary to teach Neapolitan mastiff puppies how to be separate from owners.
Neapolitan mastiff dogs generally eat eight to 10 cups of food a day. USNMC suggests not feeding high-protein dog foods or calcium supplements to this breed to avoid health problems.
Neapolitan mastiffs are also prone to "cherry eye," a condition where inflammation occurs in the corner of the dog's eye that can be corrected with minor surgery.
As Neapolitan mastiff puppies grow, the USNMC recommends you avoid playing with your puppy too roughly, since this can result in overheating and growth problems. Neapolitan mastiffs of all ages are prone to overheating, so try to keep the breed indoors or in shade, and provide plenty of water during warm weather.
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