Content
- Neapolitan Mastiff: origin
- Neapolitan Mastiff: physical characteristics
- Mastiff Neapolitan: personality
- Neapolitan Mastiff: care
- Mastiff Napolitano: education
- Neapolitan Mastiff: health
The Mastiff Napolitano dog is a large, robust and muscular dog, with many folds in the skin and is wider than it is tall. In the past, these dogs were employed in war and guarding, for their loyalty, potent temperament and physical strength. Nowadays, they are excellent pets especially for those people who have a lot of space at home and a lot of time to devote to these animals.
It is a breed of dog that needs to be socialized from a puppy and educated with positive training, so it is recommended that they are pets of people with experience in taking care of dogs. If you are thinking of adopting a dog and you are interested in Neapolitan Mastiff, keep reading this animal card from PeritoAnimal and know everything about this big guy.
Source
- Europe
- Italy
- Group II
- Rustic
- muscular
- toy
- Small
- Medium
- Great
- Giant
- 15-35
- 35-45
- 45-55
- 55-70
- 70-80
- more than 80
- 1-3
- 3-10
- 10-25
- 25-45
- 45-100
- 8-10
- 10-12
- 12-14
- 15-20
- Low
- Average
- High
- Sociable
- very faithful
- Dominant
- floors
- hiking
- Surveillance
- harness
- Cold
- Warm
- Moderate
- Short
- Hard
- thick
Neapolitan Mastiff: origin
When the Romans invaded the British Isles, they took with them the huge dogs that were servants of war, attacking their enemies without mercy. However, they came across an even more ferocious dog that faithfully defended the island. The Romans were so impressed with these ancestors of the English Mastiff that they bred with their dogs and thus appear predecessors of the modern Neapolitan Mastiff. These dogs were ferocious, bloodthirsty and ideal for war.
With the passage of time, this breed of dog was almost exclusively in the Napoleonic region and were mainly employed in the war as a guard dog. In 1946 there was a dog show in Napoles, and a dog scholar named Piere Scanziani recognized in that city the Mastiff Napolitano, who had been hidden from the world until that time. So, he decided with other fans, to foster the race and increase the population of Mastiff Napolitano. Today, this breed of dog is well known throughout the world and has lost much of the aggressive and violent temperament of its ancestors.
Neapolitan Mastiff: physical characteristics
This dog is large, heavy, strong and muscular, with a curious appearance due to the excess of loose skin and double chin. The head is short and has many wrinkles and folds. The skull is wide and flat while the stop is well marked. The nose color corresponds to the fur color, being black in black dogs, brown in brown dogs and dark brown in dogs of other colors. The eyes are round, set apart and slightly sunken. The ears are triangular, small and high set, they used to be cut but fortunately this practice has fallen into disuse and has even become illegal in many countries.
The body of the Mastiff Napolitano is wider than it is tall, thus presenting a triangular profile. It is robust and strong, the chest is wide and open. The tail is very thick at the base and tapes off at the tip. To this day, the cruel custom of amputating it with 2/3 of its natural length persists, but this is also often falling into disuse and is increasingly rejected.
The coat of the Neapolitan Mastiff is short, rough, hard and dense. It can be gray, black, brown and reddish. Any of these colors can also have the brindle pattern and also small white spots on the chest and fingertips.
Mastiff Neapolitan: personality
The Mastiff Napolitano is a very homely dog, with a good temperament. firm, decisive, independent, cautious and loyal. Tends to be reserved and suspicious of strangers but can be a very sociable dog if socialized from a puppy. It is a quiet dog, who enjoys a home life with his family and also loves any kind of outdoor physical activity, as he needs a good dose of daily physical activity.
The Mastiff Napolitano dog does not usually bark for no reason and is not very active for its size, but it can be very destructive if it does not have the company and affection it needs. As with all breeds, this is a very sociable dog that needs to have a family nucleus to which it feels part to be happy. He is loyal to excess, an extremely loyal dog to those who care for him and love him.
Remember that, despite being a sociable dog and faithful to the family, the Mastiff Napolitano may not be fully aware of its size, so playing with children and strangers must always be supervised, understand this as a way of the dog's own safety and of those who are unaware of his physical strength.
It is a breed of dog that should be adopted by experienced and knowledgeable people about the dog's behavior, education and positive training, as well as the care it needs. It's not a recommended breed for those who don't know anything about dog care.
Neapolitan Mastiff: care
Taking care of the Neapolitan Mastiff's fur does not require much effort, as an occasional brushing is enough to remove the dead fur. However, it is necessary to clean the folds of the skin frequently (especially the ones that are close to the mouth and that can retain food residues) to avoid the growth of fungus and other dermatological problems. These dogs drool a lot, so they are not ideal for people obsessed with cleanliness.
Although they are not very active dogs, they need long rides every day and do not adapt well to life in small apartments as they need a medium to large space to feel comfortable, it is recommended that they enjoy a large garden. Remember that this breed of dog does not tolerate high temperatures, so they should have a good shelter with shade. Find out how to relieve the dog of heat with 10 easy tips in this article by PeritoAnimal.
Mastiff Napolitano: education
It is very important to socialize a Neapolitan Mastiff from an early age with all kinds of people, animals and environments to avoid future fears or unexpected reactions. It is essential to understand that socialization is the key to getting a stable and healthy adult dog. On the other hand, you should also keep in mind that it is very important to avoid situations that the dog might associate with being bad. A bad experience with another dog or a car, for example, could cause the personality to change and become reactive.
Always use positive reinforcement and avoid punishment, hanging collars or physical violence, a dog with these characteristics should never be subjected or forced violently. With the slightest suspicion of behavioral problems, you should seek help from a dog educator or ethologist.
Teach your Mastiff Napolitano basic obedience commands fundamental for a good relationship with the family, with the varied environments and with other people. We recommend that you spend between 5 and 10 minutes a day to review already learned commands and teach new ones. Practice intelligence games, new experiences, stimulate the dog's physical and mental development will help make you happy and have a good attitude.
Neapolitan Mastiff: health
The Mastiff Napolitano dog is a breed prone to suffer the following diseases:
- Hip dysplasia;
- Cardiomyopathy;
- Elbow dysplasia;
- Insolation;
- Demodicosis.
Breeding this breed of dog often needs assistance due to its heavy weight. It is common for fertilization to take place through artificial insemination and for births to require a cesarean, to prevent and quickly detect any health problem, the most indicated is visit the veterinarian every 6 months and correctly follow the vaccination and deworming schedule.