Neapolitan Mastiff Standards
- American Kennel Club (Working)
- Fédération Cynologique Internationale (Group 2)
- The Kennel Club (Working)
- United Kennel Club (Guardian)
- 20-29"
- 110-150 lbs
- extra large, heavy mastiff
- ears can be cropped or left natural
- tail is traditionally docked where legal
- loose skin with dewlap, wrinkles on head and neck
- short, smooth coat
- black
- grey
- mahogany
- tawny
- tawny stag
- may be brindled
- may have small white patches
History of the Neapolitan Mastiff
It is generally accepted that the Neapolitan Mastiff is directly descended from the Roman war and gladiator dogs, the Canis Pugnax. These dogs may have originated in Tibet (perhaps very close to today’s Tibetan Mastiff) and brought to Greece by Alexander the Great in 300 BC. Another possibility is that they were brought to Britain by Phoenician traders some 200 years later and then spread to the rest of Europe. While the Canis Pugnax died out elsewhere, a small pocket of them continued to thrive in Campania, Italy which led to today's Neapolitan Mastiff.
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