Neapolitan Mastiff
Posted on 22. May, 2009 by admin in Dog Breeds, Dog Breeds N, Huge Dog Breeds, Italian Dog Breeds, Short Coat Dog Breeds, Straight Coat Dog Breeds, Working Dogs
The Neapolitan Mastiff is a direct descendant of the Middle East war dogs: the Molossus. It was often used to fight against lions, bears or gladiators in Roman arenas.
The Neapolitan Mastiff fought with the Roman legions. This is how they got spread everywhere in Europe. This breed was rediscovered approximately in 1940, in Italy, and is now becoming more and more popular.
Breed Group
Working
Size
Male: 26 to 31 inches
Female: 24 to 29 inches
Weight
Male: Approximately 150 lbs
Female: Approximately 110 lbs
Color(s)
The dog’s color can be gray, blue, black, mahogany and tawny. It can also come in darker shades of these colors.
Coat
The coat is short, smooth and dense. It has straight hairs, no longer than 1 inch.
Life Expectancy
About 9 – 10 years.
Personality
The Neapolitan Mastiff is a steady dog. It is very intelligent and stubborn. It’s extremely protective and courageous as well as very suspicious of strangers but affectionate with the family and their friends. If not provoked, it is calm and silent. Females are better family pets because the males are more aggressive and dominant and females are better with children. Plus, males do not tolerate other males.
Care
The Neapolitan Mastiff is very easy to take care of. Removing dead hairs with a brush once in a while is all it needs. It is an average shedder.
Training
For the Neapolitan Mastiff, obedience training is a must. The training should start at a young age to avoid high dominance. The dog also needs to be socialized early to be sure that they don’t become too protective. The training approach should be strict and constant.
Activity
The Neapolitan Mastiff needs regular exercise. It has to be walked at least twice a day to stay healthy in what should be a big yard.

KrisBelucci
02. Jun, 2009
da best. Keep it going! Thank you
jen
04. Jul, 2009
where can i find a Neapolitan Mastiff? I am in south africa
CrisBetewsky
06. Jul, 2009
Some of us even don’t realize the importance of this information. What a pity.
Rich McPharlin
13. Jul, 2009
Hey
Neapolitan Mastiff , great article, really well though out and very much enjoyed.
Cheers
Rich James McPharlin
13. Jul, 2009
Hi,
well written article, I think our views on Neapolitan Mastiff differ a little however you put foward some good points
Thanks
tatiana
28. Jul, 2009
thanks for the information
i think in the near future i might plan on getting a Neapolitan Mastiff
Teboho
23. Aug, 2009
Wow! Thats my dream dog, I am actually looking for a blue puppy, can be up to 12 months old. The article is very great, but I dont see much of a fighter in it, maybe a wrestler with the dew laps and a heavy body
aidan
02. Nov, 2009
they have a big bite
mastiff enthusiast
03. Nov, 2009
Great article.
Very informative.
Keep on writing about this stuffs about these breed.
Julius Adedeji
22. Apr, 2011
in need of 2 X female and 2 X male quality neapolitan mastiff.
thanks
bharath
23. May, 2011
i have Neapolitan Mastiff (female) need another dog to cross with my dog.. i need another Neapolitan Mastiff of blue so can u help me…..
krysta
28. May, 2011
i have 2 neos-silver & mahogany,i had a rottie but he got cancer so we put him down.
Jennifer
22. Jun, 2011
Thanks for this article. We had a neo given to us at 12 weeks and we had no idea what to do or what to expect. Now thanks in part to your article he is happy, getting well trained and we know what to expect in regards to his size temperment etc….
Ruan
11. Jul, 2011
I have a male neo of about 6 years old, we live in gauteng, johannesburg, would anyone by any chance have a female with which we could mate, I really want a puppy
Ruan
11. Jul, 2011
bharath, I have a male for you, where do u live?
Leonie Prinsloo
25. Jul, 2011
A great article. It gives you a good introduction to a wonderful breed. But I would like potential buyers to read my comment below and learn from my mistake.
One of the most important things to do is to check the history of your breeder. I made the mistake to trust the breeder who sold me my first Neapolitan puppy. I bought Zoe from a well known breeder in Johannesburg (who advertises in our local animal talk and has a major website). When I took her to the vet for a medical I found that she had demodex, hip displaysia,problems whith her urinary tract due to poor developement. That was just the beginning. Zoe’s meical bill to date is running at about R 28 000. If not more.
When i contacted the breeder he was rude and not helpful at all. SO CHECK ON YOUR BREEDER AND INSIST ON NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO HAD ALREADY BOUGHT DOGS FROM THIS BREEDER.
Deidre Fichardt
28. Aug, 2011
Leonie, maybe yoy should expose this breeder so that the rest of the world can know who he is, we are also breeding with Neapolitan Mastiffs, and have been scammed by this same breeder I’m sure we are talking about the same guy…KUBRAT. He bought alot of our puppies and registered them as his own under Kusa and sold them for double the price. In the meentime we have heard of alot of other people who have been scammed by him. Please expose these type of people so that we can take them out!!!
asiff
13. Nov, 2011
Yes I am also having one Neo Mastiff 45 days old