WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU CONTACT US ABOUT PURCHASING A NEAPOLITAN MASTIFF

Please recognize this is a breed that is not for everyone, as many breeds are not, especially giant breeds of a Molosser nature. Keep in mind, I already know that if you are reading this now then you must be one of the awestruck that has somehow come upon the image of a Mastino, whether it was an in-person siting or just a picture that you couldn't forget. I want you to also know that if you are still looking at this page you are taking the right first step in going beyond the wrinkles. Researching this breed is key to saving yourself all the hell that can be Neo ownership. Some will be lucky enough to find in the Mastino a friend for life. Neapolitan Mastiffs ARE the Ferrari of Dogs, people can't help but look, there is nothing in their class, and they are more expensive to maintain than anything else in the garage. Before you contact anyone about a Neo, these are answers to questions you may have.

Neapolitans Mastiffs are an AKC breed, they are in the Working Group and their papers and titles are issued via AKC's regular registration process. AKC (American Kennel Club) is the GOLD STANDARD. Neo's have been fully AKC recognized since July 1st 2004 in the Working Group, therefore they can participate in shows and all other AKC events. There are still Neos that are not AKC registered and these dogs are often CKC*, FIC, WWKC, AAPR, NMCA, ANMA, FCIPR, or one of the other what we commonly refer to as "junk" registries that are out there. A little history on the Neapolitan Mastiff registration, the USNMC (United States Neapolitan Mastiff Club) was the registry that was turned over to the AKC in 2000 when Neos were admitted into the Miscellaneous Class, but Neapolitans were AKC-FSS eligible since 1996. The USNMC is now parent club for the breed. The standing registries that are accepted by the AKC for Neapolitan Mastiffs are the UKC (United Kennel Club), CKC* (Canadian Kennel Club) and a few other Internationally recognized registries that you would see on some imports such as FCI.

There are 4 colors of Mastino, Blue, Black, Tawny & Mahogany. Brindling, white on the feet & chest, those are all MARKINGS, not colors. Grey and blue are the same color. There are a million variations of each color, there will be blue dogs with a lighter, silvery grey coat, and ones with a darker, charcoal-grey coat. There will be tawnys that are colored like a yellow Lab and some that have the hue of a fawn Pit Bull. Mahoganys that are red like a rust colored Dobie or darker like a chocolate Lab. There are Neos with no white, some white, lots of white (white only allowed on feet & chest), the same goes for brindling, but again these are not color variations, these are MARKINGS. We personally mostly breed blacks and blues, therefore most of our dogs do not carry or produce color. A great misconception about color is that if you breed to a colored dog, colored being tawny or mahogany, then you will get color, this is true only if the black or grey dog you are breeding to carries the gene to produce color, if not you can breed endlessly and only get the dominant blue and black. You will find that most major breeders do not breed for color. Many that show will actually avoid color, you have to remember that the backyard breeders & puppy mills in the USA have been pushing these colored dogs as "rare" for years and because it is expensive, inconvenient and disappointing to breed typey neos, most of the puppy millers have been breeding the generic, type-less dogs that breed naturally and raise their own young. Hence a mass production of bad quality colored dogs has been going on for years. AKC working group status will help change that, but it's going to take time. It's going to take generations & generations of correction to make colored dogs that look like my black & blue dogs consistently. For these reasons & just pure ratio, colored dogs generally have a tendency to be plainer. Of course there are exceptions to this, but in my opinion if you are looking for a massive, heavy-boned, typey Neapolitan Mastiff, especially for the show ring, you should expect to get a black or blue dog. Really it turns into a debate about what everyone's idea of "good quality" is. There are different expectations for colored dogs, what may be a mediocre-type blue dog would be an excessive-type tawny dog. Whatever the shade, there are only 4 colors and NO color is more valuable than another, NO shade of a color is more rare and expensive. Below are pics of all 4 colors, click on the pic for more examples, all are represented with typey examples of the breed.

BLUE

BLACK

TAWNY

MAHOGANY