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

We are one of the most successful Neapolitan Mastiff kennels in the United States, proven in our longevity with an HONEST 13 years in the breed. Many new kennels claim even longer, but there are actually very few Neo breeders that have even 5 years in this breed. Recently, there has been an increase in "embellishers" in this breed as the breed gains popularity and there are more people breeding. We produce and actively show our Neapolitan Mastiffs. We do not CLAIM to show, we actually do show, therefore we know what show quality pups look like and are working with many generations of Mastini that WE have been showing and breeding. Refer to the AKC Top 25 list for proof. Why buy a show dog from someone who has never shown a Neo? We do not falsely represent our dogs, ALL of the dogs that you see on our site are ours, we do not use pics of other peoples dogs 6 generations back to sell our pups. All of our dogs are advertised with their full registered name, hence telling you who bred the dog, and giving that kennel the credit they deserve. We do not use a one word name for our dogs as to confuse the buyer into believing that we produced that dog, Neapolitans DO NOT have one word names. If the dog has an Il Drago name, it's a dog we bred. We do not lie about or embellish the sizes & weights of our dogs. Neapolitans are not meant to be 200 lbs. The average Neapolitan Mastiff male is 120-160 lbs. The average female is 110-130 lbs. Numbers greater than that are VERY rare & will be obvious in a dog with EXTREME type, mass, wrinkle & bone. We offer a 12 month to 36 month hip & heart guarantee. Many breeders offer a 1 year guarantee if any at all. A one year guarantee is usually inadequate since often Neos' major health issues are not evident until after the first year of their growth. The average life span of a Neapolitan Mastiff is 6-8 years, giant breeds are not long-lived. Do the research, ask the right questions, if a breeder is being honest and has nothing to hide they will have NO issue with these questions...How long have you been breeding Neapolitan Mastiffs, what year did you produce your first litter of Neos & can you prove it with paperwork? How many litters have you produced? How many champions or National Specialty Winners have you produced, and again can you provide proof of this? Have you ever shown any of your Neapolitan Mastiffs? How many of your dogs have you had to replace? Are you a member of the parent club? If a breeder tells you they have been breeding for 20 years, the sire and dam are 180 lbs each, they have never had to replace a dog and the average life of a Neo is 10 years, these are red flags, so Buyers Beware, in this breed you get what you pay for.

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

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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 when they go by, there is nothing else 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. Still with all the variations there are just the 4 colors. 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 a colored dog, colored being tawny or mahogany, then you will get color. This is true only if you breed to another colored dog OR 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 by typey examples of the breed.

Ear cropping has become highly controversial in the day and age of animal rights. Seen as only being done for “cosmetic” purposes, many breeders and vets are steering away from cropping. In many countries, cropping is now illegal as well as tail docking, not just for the Neo but for Dobermans, Boxers, Danes, etc. As you can see we have both cropped & natural ears here. I prefer cropped, reason being most of mine are show dogs and for non-specific reasons the dogs without ears tend to fair better in the ring. The Neapolitan is what is called a “head breed” meaning a lot of importance is weighed in the head. When a Neo doesn’t have big floppy ears to frame its head, the head looks wider and the cropped ear looks more alert and gives the dog a more intimidating look. That is why breeds like the ones listed above have cropped ears, they were breeds designed to protect, and a dog without a tail and ears cannot use its body language to tell you if it’s friendly or not. It will look alert and ready, even if its not. Man created every breed for a purpose, whether to sit on one’s lap or kill rodents or hunt game. Each breed was distinctively bred to fit the mold for the chore he is designed for. To start banning crops and docks is to change the standard and the definition that created each breed, which differentiates each breed from one another. We do not require our pup’s ears to be done nor do we automatically do them before they go to their new homes. We leave it up to you the buyer whether YOU want to have them done. There are certain risks involved, Neos are not good under anesthesia, and they require about 1/2 of what other breeds their size need. You would need to have them cropped by a vet familiar with the breed, which has experience with neos and this surgery. We have a manual available to those who would like to take it to their vet. Vets do not understand that the risk is real, we ourselves have lost a pup during this procedure and our vet was wonderful and had never had problems before. Not to mention the aftercare needed takes time and patience. You need to keep them buttoned & clean them and keep them from scratching at them and then have the stitches removed and possibly do things to get them to set. Cutting the ears is risky, expensive and a pain afterwards to care for. If you like the look of the natural ear then save yourself the drama and leave them on. The only physical benefit to having ears cropped is that dogs with ears have a much greater chance of having chronic ear or yeast infections. This is because of the weight of the ear holding it close to the head, it does not allow air to pass into it and then moisture collects and causes bacteria growth and then infection. I know this paragraph is rambling on, but I want our puppy buyers to be as informed as possible when making the decision to crop or not. We have a good ear crop vet here, but we do not crop buyers ears. We can however give you our vets number, help you research your area or contact local breeders to locate an experienced neo cropping vet. If you have such a vets number please feel free to email me at ildragoneo@aol.com to have it listed on this site. It's great to have someone who is experienced with this crop.

One common problem that I can almost promise that your pup will experience, is at least one if not two CHERRY EYES. This usually occurs after their 2nd or 3rd set of shots somewhere between 9 and 16 weeks. It appears suddenly and often scares the crap out of the new neo owner. It is not the actual eye ball, it is the tissue around the eye, a third eyelid gland which has prolapsed. It can be very small but often gets very large quickly. It doesn't hurt the dog so much as it gets in the way. The area around the eye will get watery & over time can get infected & you will see a green discharge . The treatment for this is removal of the cherry eye, which requires someone who is experienced in doing so. This is very often mistreated by vets not familiar with the neo. Many vets, especially newer vets, will recommend tacking the prolapsed gland down. They have learned in school that removing the tear gland that helps to lubricate the eye often leads to other problems like dry eye. While this can be true, the treatment for this is to lubricate the eye artificially, which many Mastini require anyway to maintain clear eyes. So tacking the prolapsed gland may work in other breeds that suffer from cherry eye, like St. Bernards, Cocker Spaniels, Chows, Bulldogs, Bloodhounds, as Neos are not the only droopy-eyed breed afflicted with cherry eye, but this absolutely does not work with the neo. It is necessary to remove the prolapsed part of the gland. If you have a vet that insists on tacking the gland instead of heeding your advice & removing the gland, then ask them to put it in writing that they will remove the gland & correct any problems they have created by tacking, free of charge when they realize that tacking isn't working. I guarantee no vet will do this & it is probably best to just find a vet that has the experience & will remove the cherry eye. This is a relatively simple procedure & can be done with or without anesthesia and should not cost more than $150, unless you are in California. I often recommend to puppy buyers to give it a couple weeks once one cherry eye has appeared to give the other eye a chance to pop one too. That way the pup only has to go to the vet once instead of twice which saves you money & saves the dog the risk of anesthesia again. Via the advise of Juan-Carlos Stauring, I have learned there is an eye ointment you can find online, it is marketed for humans that is not prescription called AKWA. It is awesome for the eyes, you can use it daily and it helps to keep them clear and lubricated and is only a few bucks.

My pups eat a 50/50 mix of Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy & Nutro Max Puppy with Esbilac milk powder added to it, 3 times a day before he is ready to go at 8 weeks old. You may stop feeding the Diamond Small Breed Puppy & cut the Nutro Max Puppy down to 2 times a day once he’s settled in. You will be given a sample of this mix food, and it is available in most areas. This food can be found at retailers like Petco, Petsmart, Pet Supplies Plus or feed stores like Tractor Supply & it runs about $35 for a 35lb bag. It is reasonably priced for a quality dry food. As far as dry food goes, we have settle our pups 8+ weeks into eating Nutro Max Puppy. When pups go to their new homes, sometimes they will not eat really well in the beginning, this is due to the lack of competition with their littermates. Even though there was always plenty of food for everyone, the act of eating was a group activity & may throw your pup off its feed. You can add a little plain yogurt or cottage cheese to the food to aid in picking up an appetite or mix in some of what they are familiar with, powdered Esbilac. My dogs 5+ months eat Nutro Max Beef & Rice (adult). The Beef is 26% protein and 16% fat. It helps keep weight on my dogs, which are show/breeding dogs that are not spayed or neutered and require a little more get up & go in their diet. It also is the only food in 14 years I have found to help keep a Neos stools solid, which is a very common problem with Neos. If you decide to stray from my instructions I at least recommend feeding a premium puppy food with red meat or chicken as a first ingredient, and avoid foods with corn as one of the first 3 ingredients. I also suggest that the puppy food you feed not be lower than 15% fat. I do not recommend “large breed puppy foods” because my experience with Neos is that they require more fat and less protein than “large breed” dog foods actually contain. Most large breed puppy food is made the opposite way, higher in protein & lower in fat, but I find the Neos often stay too skinny with this. Also, feeding a food that is marketed with glucosamine & joint supplements in it isn’t bad, but there is never enough in the food to make a difference with a Mastino. I have found that many Neos do better on a red meat base food. Some other foods are Nutro Max Puppy and Nutro Max Adult, Kirkland Chicken & Rice or (Costco brands), if you really want to spend a lot, some of the newer holistic foods, but honestly my luck has been with the Nutro Max & in 14 years I have tried EVERY diet possible and every brand of food from the cheap to the ridiculous.

In the last 2 years we have started free-feeding dry food to our adult dogs. This means they have access to their dry food all of the time. Each dog is kenneled separately, which is essential for this method to work in order to prevent fights among dogs. I find that they will maintain their own balanced weight and not overeat. We use steel auto-feed containers that hold 25 lbs each, this keeps the food dry and free from pests, but allows them to eat it on their own time and not waste it by flipping their bowl or donating it to the nearby sparrows & crows.

You may notice that not every stool is always solid & this is common & somewhat normal in Mastini. I believe this happens due to a fast rate of absorption or metabolism. Neos are not proportioned well, the heavy bone & even heavier fronts make it hard for a neo to get around well, especially if they are heavy all over. It is very common to see skinny waists on big adult dogs, especially males. Although your dog may not look like the fat Lab next door, this is normal for the breed. This is also why I feel supplementing & adding raw meat can benefit Neos, especially if you are having a hard time getting them to eat dry food consistently. So in addition to commercial dog food we have been known to feed dogs 5 months & older a partial raw meat diet consisting of raw chicken on the bone & raw ground beef. A great book to read about natural diets is “Give Your Dog a Bone” by Dr. Ian Billingshurst. This book will help calm some of your fears about raw foods and bones, but most certainly will not calm your vet’s. We sometimes add pasta and breads, great for carbs in the winter for an outdoor dog. Keep in mind though that switching your dog’s food around and adding lots of tidbits to get them to eat their dry food can make them finicky eaters. You will quickly find yourself playing chef to your picky Neo. You can also use brewers yeast or fish oils for skin and coat. Vitamin C is helpful and mandatory for the growing years. All of our dogs 10 weeks and older get 1000 mg of vitamin C & a 2 Sure Grow tablets daily. They help the immune system & also promote good development of joints & bones. Peanut butter on a piece of bread is a great trick in getting them to take pills. Also sticking supplements in raw hamburger balls works. Diet is probably the biggest part of what you can do for your Neo to keep it healthy and sound.

Neapolitans are a breed that have predisposition to gastric dilatation or BLOAT, this is twisting of the stomach after gastric distention occurs. Bloat kills quickly and is apparent when the abdomen swells with air and the torso of the dog appears extremely distended. This is horribly painful for the dog and they need to be rushed to a vet immediately for treatment. There are some things you can do to try and prevent bloat, most don’t revolve around diet, although the exact causes of bloat are not known at this point. Genetics and environmental stresses are the most common contributors. Discourage rapid eating of dry food. Do not allow exercise heavy for two hours after a meal. DO NOT elevate the food dish, and if a dog is a gulper, soak your dog’s food in warm water 10 minutes before feeding it, this allows the food to expand and swell outside of the dogs stomach. Do not feed commercial dog foods that contain any kind of fat in the first 4 ingredients listed, or any citric acid; these 2 ingredients alone increase your risk of bloat tremendously. We have started having the stomachs of some of our dogs tacked down when they go to a vet for another procedure, this almost always prevents bloat and can lead to piece of mind when it comes to a huge problem in giant breed dogs.

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