The Neapolitan Mastiff, Italian Mastiff, Mastino or Mastini (plural) 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.

History

The Neapolitan Mastiff is a descendant of the Molossus. Not many decades ago, "molossian of Epirus" was still a term to be found in some Greek glossaries on dog breeds, more so than others as a term of historical reference. Epirus was one of the states of Ancient Greece, between Corfu and Pindus, neighboring Albania and Molossia or Molosside, whose inhabitants in the fourth century BC provided them with the reigning dynasty. It was described by Oppiano[citation needed]as a dog of large size, snub-nosed, truculent with its frowning brows, not speedy but impetuous, fighter of great courage and incredible strength, to be employed against bulls and wild-boar, undaunted even when confronted with a lion. Quite clearly Oppiano here is precisely referring to the Molossian[citation needed]. Then Oppiano alludes to the corrugations of the skin in the area of the forehead - another characteristic peculiar to the Molossian. The Romans, who in 168 BC defeated King Perseus of Macedonia - and who also made Albania one of their provinces in 148 BC - imported dogs of great power from those very areas into Rome[citation needed], which were instantly called Pugnaces Britanniae as they were so ready to do battle against any wild beast. Pugnaces Britanniae were actually brought from Britain to Rome and found to be better fighting dogs than the Greek Mollosser already in Rome. It was frequently used in the Roman arenas pitted against lions, bears, and gladiators for entertainment. Strabone[citation needed] wrote in about 30BC, that it required four molossians to confront a lion. As dogs in warfare, they fought alongside the Roman legions, and in this way they were spread throughout Europe. Eventually the descendants of the Roman Molossian splintered into several different Mastiff breeds known across Europe. The ancestral form of the Mastino was a favorite breed of Alexander the Great, he received 150 trained molossus from Indian King Sopietie and later a pack of the dogs were given to Alexander by King Porus or Paurava who was not King of Albania, but rather sovereign of a territory to the east of the River Idaspe (now Jhelum) in present day Punjab, between India and Pakistan. Porus was defeated there by Alexander in 326BC. Plutarch wrote that Cynopolis was built in honour of the courage of his favorite molossus. The Neapolitan Mastiff breed standards have changed from the original, as breeders have cross bred it with the Cane Corso. This resulted in a slightly smaller breed with less flabby cheeks and slightly more athletic build that resembles the French Mastiff Dogue de Bordeaux. Some breeders have criticized these mixed breedings by calling them Mutts, while other breeders have defended the changes to the breed saying that adding the Cane Corso has made it a healthier breed.

Appearance and Size

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. Ears can be cropped or uncropped though since January 1 2007, cropped ears and tails are banned in Italy as it is in the rest of Europe. The height of the Neapolitan Mastiff is 24 to 30 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 100 and 150 pounds.

Personality

The Neapolitan Mastiff is a sweet, affectionate and loyal companion. If necessary, the Neapolitan Mastiff can be a formidable foe if his family is in danger.

Wikipedia and GNU

The content of this entry is from the Wikipedia article "Neapolitan Mastiff" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.