Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Neapolitan Mastiff Breed Overview
- History of the Neapolitan Mastiff Breed. Where Neapolitan Mastiffs came from
- What the Neapolitan Mastiff Looks Like
- How Much is the Neapolitan Mastiff Puppy?
- Best Neapolitan Mastiff Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Neapolitan Mastiff
- Neapolitan Mastiff Growth
- What Colors do Neapolitan Mastiffs Have?
- Neapolitan Mastiff Litter Size
- Good Names for Neapolitan Mastiffs
- How Popular are Neapolitan Mastiffs with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Neapolitan Mastiffs and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Neapolitan Mastiff
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Neapolitan Mastiffs
- Other Things to Know About Neapolitan Mastiffs
Neapolitan Mastiff Breed Overview
The Neapolitan Mastiff is a giant-sized dog.
The adult Neapolitan Mastiff stands 24 to 31 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Neapolitan Mastiff belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Neapolitan Mastiff, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.
Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.
Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.
The fact that Neapolitan Mastiffs belong to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Neapolitan Mastiffs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Neapolitan Mastiff is generally described as:
- Dominant
- Fearless
- Obedient
- Protective
- Stubborn
- Trainable
History of the Neapolitan Mastiff Breed. Where Neapolitan Mastiffs came from
Following their creation, these great dogs dug deep roots in the land of Italy, specifically in the vicinity of Naples.
They are the offspring of Roman war dogs and the large British Mastiff.
There is no doubt that, despite their droopy appearance, these majestic dogs are stunning on the inside.
The Neo was prized for his protective personality, which would protect the family farm or estate for many years.
As a result, they were dubbed “big dogs for little men.
” With a name like that, it`s easy to see how these dogs had captured the hearts of those they shared their home with.
However, despite their gentle temperament and outstanding guard abilities, the Neo almost became extinct around the time of World War II; the end of a beautiful dog was almost brought about by wars and industrialization.
Fortunately, Italy was not ready to abandon the Neapolitan Mastiff.
These dogs were reintroduced to the public in 1946, at a show in Naples, thanks to the well-known Italian journalist Piere Scanziana.
He was very interested in the breed and worked hard to make the Neo more well-known.
By the early 1970s, the Neo had spread throughout Europe and even the United States.
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What the Neapolitan Mastiff Looks Like
The Neo`s most noticeable feature is, of course, his size.
This breed has a large powerful body with loose skin and wrinkles.
Skin folds conceal the breed`s head definition, and a large dewlap completes the features.
He`ll have a large nose that matches the rest of his coat color, and his eyes, while alert, will appear almost sleepy beneath the folds of his face.
Depending on the darkness of the Neo`s coat, the color of the eyes will range from amber to brown.
The Neapolitan Mastiff`s appearance is completed by large drooping ears and a slow, lumbering gait.
The coat is available in a variety of colors, ranging from light to dark.
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How Much is the Neapolitan Mastiff Puppy?
The average price of a Neapolitan Mastiff puppy is $3060. The price of a Neapolitan Mastiff puppy ranges from $1800 to $4000.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Neapolitan Mastiff. These factors include what health records the Neapolitan Mastiff puppy has, the lineage of the Neapolitan Mastiff puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Neapolitan Mastiff based on the many factors that determine the price of the Neapolitan Mastiff puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Neapolitan Mastiff puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Neapolitan Mastiff breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Neapolitan Mastiff Breeders
We have researched reputable Neapolitan Mastiff breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Neapolitan Mastiff breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
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Roel Mastinos & Frenchies
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
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Wild Child Neos
Puppy Price: $3500 -$ 4000
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Hughes Mastino
Puppy Price: $3500
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il Drago Neapolitan Mastiffs
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
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DFW Neapolitan Mastiffs
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Neapolitan Mastiff
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Neapolitan Mastiffs included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Neapolitan Mastiff named Fazio that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Neapolitan Mastiffs like Fazio on pefinder.com.
Leo is the name of another Neapolitan Mastiff (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Neapolitan Mastiffs that are available for adoption on petfinder.
Neapolitan Mastiff Growth
New Neapolitan Mastiff owners need to know about the growth of their Neapolitan Mastiffs. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Neapolitan Mastiff will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Neapolitan Mastiff early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Neapolitan Mastiff puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Neapolitan Mastiff at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Neapolitan Mastiff
What Colors do Neapolitan Mastiffs Have?
Neapolitan Mastiffs come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Gray / Blue / Silver
- Brindle
- Brown / Chocolate
- Black
Neapolitan Mastiffs come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
- White / Cream
Neapolitan Mastiff Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 10 different Neapolitan Mastiff birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Neapolitan Mastiffs can have is 7 puppies. Also, the Neapolitan Mastiff can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 13 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Neapolitan Mastiff will have depends on factors such as the age of the Neapolitan Mastiff, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Neapolitan Mastiff will have and how the litter size of the Neapolitan Mastiff compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
Good Names for Neapolitan Mastiffs
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Neapolitan Mastiff ranked by popularity:
- Tank
- Zeus
- Leo
- Zizi
- Fausto
- Jovani
- Fazio
- Ben
- Biggs
- Tiberius
How Popular are Neapolitan Mastiffs with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Neapolitan Mastiff.
The popularity of the Neapolitan Mastiff averaged over the years is Number 105 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Neapolitan Mastiffs and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Neapolitan Mastiff is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Neapolitan Mastiff puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Neapolitan Mastiff breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Neapolitan Mastiffs for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Neapolitan Mastiffs here.
How to Take Care of Neapolitan Mastiff
To take good care of your Neapolitan Mastiff, you need to make sure that you groom your Neapolitan Mastiff regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Neapolitan Mastiff regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Neapolitan Mastiff`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Neapolitan Mastiff daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Neapolitan Mastiff.
Also, you need to feed your Neapolitan Mastiff high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Neapolitan Mastiff from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Neapolitan Mastiff and how much food to feed the Neapolitan Mastiff at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Neapolitan Mastiff has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Neapolitan Mastiff needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Neapolitan Mastiffs
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Neapolitan Mastiff.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Neapolitan Mastiff:
- Doberman Pinscher (67 percent match with Neapolitan Mastiff). Learn more about the Doberman Pinscher here.
- Dogue de Bordeaux (67 percent match with Neapolitan Mastiff). Learn more about the Dogue de Bordeaux here.
- Mastiff (72 percent match with Neapolitan Mastiff). Learn more about the Mastiff here.
- Spanish Mastiff (69 percent match with Neapolitan Mastiff). Learn more about the Spanish Mastiff here.
Other Things to Know About Neapolitan Mastiffs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Neapolitan Mastiff that you need to know about the Neapolitan Mastiff breed: