Neapolitan Mastiff puppies

About the Neapolitan Mastiff

The Neapolitan Mastiff is an Italian guarding breed, kept around farms and estates in the south of the country and shaped for presence as much as for work. This is a giant dog, 61 to 79 cm and 49.9 to 68 kg, with heavy loose skin, deep wrinkles over the head and a rolling, deliberate walk. Temperament is watchful and quiet rather than reactive: strongly attached to their own household, indifferent or wary with strangers, and slow to move for anything they do not care about.

Energy is low and barking is rare, though none of that makes this an easy dog. They overheat quickly, so warm weather walks need real care, and puppies must be kept off stairs and away from jumps and rough wrestling while the joints form. Grooming is short coat simple, with the wrinkles and ears wiped and dried and a cloth kept to hand for drool. Ratings with children are moderate, and the sheer weight makes supervision essential. Put the training in early, because a dog this size cannot be handled once they are grown.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Neapolitan Mastiff puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A giant breed puppy at eight weeks is already heavy and will keep growing for up to two years. Controlled growth matters more here than in any other size class, so a large breed specific puppy food and no overfeeding. Energy is on the lower side for the breed, but every eight week old puppy still runs in bursts and then crashes. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Cherry eye, a prolapse of the third eyelid gland, diagnosed on examination and corrected surgically
• Hip and elbow dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed and scored for
• Entropion and ectropion, eyelid faults diagnosed on veterinary eye examination
• Gastric dilatation volvulus, a surgical emergency in deep chested dogs
• Elbow hygromas, fluid cushions over the joint diagnosed on examination, which should not be drained
• Heart disease, screened by cardiac examination and echocardiogram

Your Neapolitan Mastiff puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Giant for a Neapolitan Mastiff.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 49.9 to 68 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 48 inch (48 x 30 x 32 in, 122 x 76 x 81 cm) for an adult of up to 68 kg, the largest size in the chart, which tops out at 49.9 kg, so measure the dog before you buy; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Do slow feeder bowls work? Choosing one for a puppy that gulps
• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other giant breeds

More on the Neapolitan Mastiff

Previous: Murray River Retriever · Next: Nederlandse Kooikerhondje

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Neapolitan Mastiff breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/neapolitan-mastiff/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Philip Thompson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.