Neapolitan Mastiff
The Neapolitan mastiff has been recognized
as a breed in the modern world only since 1949.
The Neapolitan mastiff has been recognized
as a breed in the modern world only since 1949.
However through bas reliefs, paintings and statues
dating from 3000 years before Christ, we can
trace his roots to the giant war dogs of Egypt,
Persia, Mesopotamia, and Asia. Even as historical
a figure as Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.)
was instrumental in creating the Neapolitan
Mastiff. Alexander is known to have crossed
the giant Macedonian and Epirian war dogs with
the short-haired "Indian" dogs to
create the Molossus. The Molossus was a dog
characterized by having a wide, short muzzle
and a heavy dewlap and was used to fight tigers,
lions, elephants, and men in battle. This animal
is easily recognized as the great forefather
of the Neapolitan Mastiff.
When the Romans conquered Greece, they adopted
the Molossus dogs and also used them in battle,
in the hunt, and in the arena. The Roman invasion
of England gave them access to the even larger
giant Mastiff dogs there which the Romans crossed
with their own now formidable war beasts. The
several different breeds that are descended
from these dogs have many traits in common:
they are large powerful animals, are devoted
to their masters, and are superior defenders
of person and property.
Over the centuries, breeders of the mastino
in the Neapolitan area of southern Italy, focused
on breeding guards for the homes and estate.
They created a breed which retained the giant
size, heavy, loose skin and dewlap. This was
an animal which was a stay-at-home type, and
was good with the family but was bred to detect
unwanted intruders and to deter them from the
property under their care. Indeed, many say
that the Neapolitan Mastiff's serious looks
alone are enough to deter any intruder.
After the second World War, several Italians
began to organize and promote the breed. The
first exhibition was held in Naples in 1946,
with six Neapolitan Mastiff being presented.
The standard was first codified in 1948 by Dr.
Piero Scanziani and the breed was recognized
by the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale)
in 1949. The standard was rewritten again for
greater precision in 1971.
By the early 1970's the breed had representatives
in most other European countries and had acquired
significant footholds in Germany and the USA,
where a few fanciers became fascinated by the
art of breeding this uniquely looking and moving
dog.
And we say art because the breeding of the Neapolitan
Mastiff is truly an art. To quote Giusseppe
Alessandra, president of the A.T.I.M.A.N.A.,
(the International Association of the Neapolitan
Mastiff), "there are three important and
equal aspects to the Neapolitan Mastiff: its
type, its size, and its soundness".
In those countries where the Neapolitan Mastiff
has achieved a steady population, the breeders
have tended to focus on that aspect of the breed
which adheres to cultural ideals. For instance,
in Italy, the focus is on type over size and
soundness. In Germany, the focus tends to be
on size first, then type then soundness. In
the United States, the focus has been on soundness,
then size, then type. Only in the last five
years have US breeders regularly been able to
produce formidable dogs of the splendid type
that amazes and awes true Neapolitan Mastiff
fans world-wide.
As proof of this we offer two examples. The
A.T.I.M.A.N.A. hosts a prestigious annual show
attended by hundreds of Neapolitans from all
of Europe. In 1994, for the first time an American-bred
Neapolitan Mastiff competed. Ironstone Islero
II, owned by Mr. Harry Booker, and bred by Dr.
Sherilyn Allen, took third place. It was a victory
for the Americans in a traditionally Italian-dominated
event, and a significant victory for this dog
as he was adversely affected by the long flight
over. The judge commented that he would have
picked the dog to win had he (the dog) been
feeling better.
As a second example, in the Summer of 1995,
Dr. Theo Kjelstrom, an AKC judge who has studied
the Neapolitan Mastiff both here and abroad
judged a Neapolitan Mastiff specialty in Illinois.
His comments after the show were "These
dogs are on par with the best dog's I've seen
while judging in Europe, excellent bone and
type. Furthermore they have the advantage of
being quite sound."
All Neapolitan Mastiff Information is from:
Mea
- 2 months |
This website is my attempt to document the
life of my own Cane Corso, Italian Mastiff.
Her name is Mea and you can see the picture
of her to the left. I've also compiled some
very useful information on dog health, pros
& cons, pet supplies, advice and info
on the history of the 3 types of Italian
Mastiffs.
Mea was born January 8th, 2005 and weighs
about 50 lbs now.
3 weeks ago she weighed about 20 lbs. The
growth of this little bundle of love is
remarkably fast. You can see pictures of
her in the photo gallery section of this
site. Feel free to browse the website and
all of our doggy
photos.
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