Mastino Neapolitano

A brutal and massive dog with a sad expression of a folded face is Neapolitan Mastiff or Neapolitano Mastino. Huge watchdogs, who accompanied the army of Alexander the Great in their hikes, have a more than 2000-year history of the formation of the breed. Plutarch and Aristotle wrote about dogs, Homer mentioned them. What is this breed and how does it attract dog lovers?

History reference

It is believed that the Neapolitano Mastino came from the Mastiff, which, in turn, was a descendant of the huge Molossas that have become extinct today. These ferocious, frightening by one of their kind, dogs were a combat unit in the army of Xerxes as far back as the 5th century. BC er

One of the rocks, descended from the formidable Molossi received the name Mastiff from massivius (large, massive). According to another version, Mastino is named for masuetinus, which means "tamed" or "submissive." The ancient Assyrian bas-reliefs next to the warriors depict huge mastiff-like dogs, clad in armor.

In the war against the Persians, Alexander the Great applied about 50 ferocious dogs, outwardly similar to the Neapolitan mastiff. But still in the 1st c. BC er The Britons used combat prammastifof in battles against the Roman conquerors. Later, huge dogs were kept for the protection of livestock, property, and hunting. Chaotic interbreeding and lack of selection would have led Mastino to extinction, just like his ancestor, if not for Pietro Scanziani, an artist and a dog trainer who lived in the outskirts of Rome.

In the middle of the twentieth century. Pietro Scanziani at the exhibition saw one of the 8 Mastinos presented in the out-of-competition show. After 3 years, Scanziani received a model dog, from which breed standards were written off. They were approved in 1949, but since the standard was adopted without checking the physical and performance characteristics, it was refined for a long time, and the breed improved. The final version was adopted at the end of the twentieth century.

Description breed mastino neapolitano

Neapolitan one of the biggest dogs. In the top ranking, he is in 12th place, behind Alabayam, divers, Pyrenean, English, Spanish and Tibetan mastiffs, Great Dane. Powerful wide bones covered with sturdy musculature.

The dog is well built, but since it has a large weight (male 60-70 kg, female 50-60 kg) and a significant size (height at withers for dogs 65-75 cm, and for bitches 60-68 cm), somewhat awkward, but has the plastic of a big cat:

Torso strong, stocky, somewhat elongated. Its length is 10% greater than the height at the withers.
Thick loose skin forms characteristic folds not only on the dog's head, but throughout the body, which indicates the dog's fighting past. Strong relief muscles roll under the loose “hanging” skin.
From the protruding withers, the line of the back smoothly goes down and rises to the waist. The broad back ends with a thick at the base and a tail descending to the end. It is saber bent, sometimes it is stopped by 1/3.
The skull is massive, has a broad facial part in the cheekbone area, with a high, broad forehead covered with folds. The transition to the nose is pronounced. On the sides of the wide nose and lower edge of the eye, skin folds hang down, merging with a plumb bottom of the neck. They are parallel and well expressed.
Lips large, fleshy. The outer corners are open and the mucous is visible. Jaws strong, well developed, wide with a full set of white, even teeth. Both scissor and pincer-type clamping are allowed.
The eyes are deeply set and partially hidden by the folds, which gives the face of the mastino a sad look. Their color is somewhat darker than coat color.
Ears hanging, due to the large size of the skull seem small. The auricle is thick, set high, the hanging edge tightly adheres to the lateral surface of the cheeks. Can be cropped.
The neck is thick, short, covered with folds of skin. Suspension pronounced, double, but not excessive. The stomach is picked up, the suspension is obligatory at the bottom of the body.
Limbs powerful, equipped with strong muscles, smooth, parallel. The length of the shoulder and forearm of the front paws is almost the same. The hind legs are equipped with long hocks. On the foot of the hind legs dewclaws should be removed.

Mastino movements are somewhat slow, resembling the steps of a big lion. When moving at a trot, the dog strongly repels by its hind legs and throws it in front of the front. Less often, mastino can move with an amble and very rarely go into a gallop.

Mastino colors

Short hair tight to the skin, the same across the surface of the body. The bitches are soft, giving a velvety feeling when touched. In males - tough. The color is various - gray, dark gray, gray-fawn (isabella), blue, black, mahogany or tan.

Vertical stripes of a darker color, so-called tigrovins, are marked against the general background. They are required. Small white spots on the chest and at the bases of the fingers are allowed.

Pet character

Much has been written about the character of the Neapolitan. Expressively, briefly, capaciously it was characterized by the Italian Terre, who lived in the XIX century. He compared this powerful handsome with Hercules, noting his strength and nobility. But, despite the frightening appearance, Mastino have immense devotion to the owner and the willingness to protect him even at the cost of his life.

In the ruins of Pompeii, scientists have found material evidence of this - by filling the voids in the lava with gypsum, they received copies of the bodies of the inhabitants of the deceased city. One of these impressions was a huge mastino, which with its body protected its little master from the flow of lava and hot ash. Nearby we found a collar with an engraving. They learned from her that a bitch named Delta had already saved her master Severinus from a pack of wolves.

Mastino Neapolitano rely not only on its strength. Owners and breeders celebrate the mind of these dogs, the rare sensitivity and "consonance" of the owner's mood. Mastino is an ideal guard and defender, but, nevertheless, he will never pounce on an opponent weaker than himself or showing no aggression.

The dog is a little lazy, he likes to soak up the house on his stove bench, but he also willingly runs around the house to check if everything is in order. He loves when they pay attention, caress. Without attention the dog becomes gloomy and depressed. The past centuries, in close contact with man, have shaped the need for his presence in the life of a mastino. The dog, left alone for a long time, begins to howl or outrageously.

Mastino from an early age is necessary socialization. Without the skills to communicate with people and animals, the dog may grow aggressive or fearful. Proper upbringing will emphasize and develop the best traits of a Neapolitan's character - courage, friendliness, patience, loyalty, restraint.

Mastino is constantly on the alert. He vigilantly follows the interlocutor of the owner and does not allow the invasion of his comfort zone, conversations in high tones, sharp gestures. He “closes” his host with his body, demanding to maintain distance and calm. Mastino is not jealous and applies to all family members. He does not like when, during a walk, “his family” disperses and tries to gather everyone to guard and watch.

There are legends about the sixth sense inherent in the dogs of this breed. Mastino feels perfectly well who treats his hosts kindly and who is an enemy and a bad person. Intentions and attitudes cannot be hidden from insightful mastino. Even the puppy feels it. Some breeders give a puppy only to the one he chose, which further strengthens the contact between the dog and his guardian.

Training

The hardness of character and the pride of mastino does not facilitate its training. He does not tolerate rudeness and aggression. The dog has a good memory and a natural mind, if you act patiently and confidently, then he quickly learns. Teams, given a firm tone, will bring more benefits than punishment.

They are well perceived and understood by the team, but they are not in a hurry to fulfill them, so it is considered that the learning ability of masto is average. Dogs do not like monotonous repetition of exercises. He likes slow walks with the owner more than running around and executing commands.

Mastino is touchy and vulnerable, having a good memory, he remembers the image of the offender for a long time, so a light slap with a newspaper or a raised voice is enough for the dog to understand what he has done.

Canine insists that Mastino is not so much trained as educated. Moreover, the upbringing should be done from early childhood - a huge uncontrollable dog can pose a serious threat. The attacking mastino cannot stop even a strong man.

Teams must be short, clear and must be executed, otherwise the dog will ignore them. Some owners train the mastino to attack, giving the command with the help of innocent words inserted into the conversation, or an imperceptible touch to the body of the animal. Raising the ferocity of a mastino threatens to get a ruthless dangerous creature instead of a smart guard.

In mastino training, all family members must adhere to unanimity. It is unacceptable that the requirements of one person are ignored or canceled by another. It is impossible to prohibit a dog to bark - this is one of the elements of a danger alert and evidence of the performance of official duties.

Mastino can not be humiliated content on the chain. From this the character of the dog spoils. If you can not place the dog in a house or apartment, then you should not start it.

Health and Care

Like most representatives of large breeds, mastino is not a long-liver. Characteristic features of appearance and anatomy cause the following diseases:

hip dysplasia;
bursitis;
ear diseases;
food and atopic allergies;
heart failure;
metabolic disease;
dermatitis, demodicosis, pyoderma;
retinal atrophy.

Since the dog lives in an apartment or house, the care for it is minimal. Smooth short mastino wool does not need grooming. It is enough to comb the dog 1-2 times a week with a special brush from natural bristles.

It is necessary to bathe the dog only if it is very polluted, since a violation of the natural grease will lead to dandruff, thinning and weakening of the hair, and the risk of developing skin diseases. Puppies wash recommended only after a year.

It is very necessary to monitor the health of the ears, especially if they are not cropped. Clean them 1 time in 2-3 days. Need to care for the teeth and eyes of Mastino, they need to be cleaned and, if necessary, treated. A dog may have saliva when it eats, agitates, or in anticipation of food, which must be wiped out so that the wrinkles do not macerate. Periodically, the folds need to be checked as they accumulate dust, perspiration, food particles, which leads to inflammation and the occurrence of dermatoses.

To maintain physical fitness and prevent obesity, the dog must walk for at least 2 hours. Natural curiosity should be satisfied by visiting special places of walking where the dog can communicate with other dogs, run, play. Huge size and short hair can lead to overheating of mastino, so in the hot season walks should be postponed for a time with a lower temperature - morning or evening.

Feeding and keeping dogs

Feeding is facilitated if the host Mastino gives him dry food. There is no need for the additional introduction of mineral and vitamin supplements, the calculation and preparation of the diet. Moreover, the dog is not very careful while eating, and dry pellets feed less flat and do not pollute the dog's face.

The amount of feed and the frequency of feeding depend on the age of the dog. An adult dog is enough to feed once a day. Proteins are necessary for dogs to form muscle mass, therefore, with natural feeding in the mastino diet, most of it is meat and by-products (40%).

Despite good digestion, it is recommended to exclude rice, poultry meat and bones from the diet. But some breeders are advised to include in the menu meat and insides of ostrich, rich in glucosamines and easily digestible.

Calcium supplements should be added to food to prevent diseases of the musculoskeletal system and vitamins, especially in the spring-winter period. Experienced dog breeders recommend adding bread and porridge to the diet as a source of carbohydrates. Fats are provided by the introduction of vegetable oil.

Mastino puppies for growth and proper formation of the skeleton are recommended food type Eukanuba Dog Breeder Puppy Large Breeds with a balanced composition and rich in phosphorus and calcium for bone mineralization. Food for puppies of large and giant breeds ensures uniform growth, prevents obesity, provides optimal mental and physical development.

Photo of Mastino Neapolitano

Video about mastino neapolitano

Where to buy a puppy and kennels

The breed is becoming more and more popular, therefore, it is not very difficult to find a kennel that breeds mastino neapolitano. In Moscow it is:

Larga Pav, http://dog.pet2me.com/ru/club/id/1289/;
“Neapolitan Mastiffs of Natalia Rodionova” http://dog.pet2me.com/ru/club/id/1245/;
Vento Fortuna, http://www.hochusobaku.ru/kennel/548/;
"Grande Stella", http://grandestella.ru/
Gvidion, http://dog.pet2me.com/ru/club/id/624/, etc.

In Kiev, they are somewhat smaller, but the most famous masto breeders are: