The Neapolitan Mastiff, Italian Mastiff, Mastino or Mastini is a large, ancient dog breed. This massive breed is often used as a guard and defender of family and property due to the protective instincts and their fearsome appearance.
The breed is reported to have been used to fight alongside the Roman Legions, by having bladed and spiked leather harnesses tied to their backs and being trained to run under the bellies of enemy horses, to disembowel them.
Neapolitan Mastiffs are characterized by loose skin over their entire bodies, with wrinkle and folds on the head and a large dewlap. Some breeders produce Mastino with vast amounts of skin and wrinkle, large bone size and this is known as W.H.A.M meaning Wrinkle Head And Mass, while others detest this type, preferring a leaner appearance.
There are 4 coat colors; Black, Grey (Blue), Mahogany and Tawny (blonde), each color may also come with reverse brindling appearing as brown silver or beige. They can have white on the chest and feet. White anywhere else on the body is a fault.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC) standards, male Neapolitan Mastiffs should measure 26–31 inches (66–79 cm) at the withers, weighing 150 pounds (70 kg), but can easily reach up to 200 pounds (90 kg) for larger males, while females should be 24–29 inches (61–74 cm) and weigh around 140 pounds (64kg). Body length should be 10-15% more than that of the height.
The Neapolitan Mastiff is fearless and extremely protective of its home and family. They prefer to be with their family and to remain in and around the home at all times.
The Neapolitan Mastiff rarely barks unless under provocation, renowned for sneaking up on intruders as opposed to first alerting them of their presence.
If you can't find a local breeder in your area don't worry, many breeders are using the major airlines like American, Delta, Continental and Northwest airlines for shipping their puppies.
At this time the airlines will ship puppies to the following States: Alabama AL - Alaska AK - Arizona AZ - Arkansas AR - California CA - Colorado CO - Connecticut CT - Delaware DE - Florida FL - Georgia GA - Hawaii HI - Idaho ID - Illinois IL - Indiana IN - Iowa IA - Kansas KS - Kentucky KY - Louisiana LA - Maine ME - Maryland MD - Massachusetts MA - Michigan MI - Minnesota MN - Mississippi MS - Missouri MO - Montana MT - Nebraska NE - Nevada NV - New Hampshire NH - New Jersey NJ - New Mexico NM - New York NY - North Carolina NC - North Dakota ND - Ohio OH - Oklahoma OK - Oregon OR - Pennsylvania PA - Rhode Island RI - South Carolina SC - South Dakota SD - Tennessee TN - Texas TX - Utah UT - Vermont VT - Virginia VA - Washington WA - Washington, D.C. - West Virginia WV - Wisconsin WI - Wyoming WY - Hawaii HI.
Neapolitan Mastiff Puppies
