Judging the Neapolitan Mastiff
as submitted by the United States Neapolitan Mastiff Club

How do you judge the Neapolitan Mastiff? As long as you keep the five critical factors in mind the WHaM factor:

Wrinkle,
Head, and
Mass as well as:
Big E - Emotional Impact and
Little e - Not bred for endurance

you won't go too far wrong.

Other things to keep in mind:

Examining the dog:
You may certainly examine the dog, hands-on, the way you do other breeds. You should be able to touch any dog in any way you want. And believe me, you really won't have a problem with these dogs, they really don't seem to care. If you do ever have a problem, it will be because the dog is inexperienced in the show ring.

Bear in mind, though, that this is a shorthaired breed, and you should be able to see muscle, bone, and construction without running your hands over the entire dog the way you must do coated breeds.

Examining the bite:
You may certainly examine the bite of the dog yourself, and the dog and the handler should be prepared. However, considering the length of the lips, the goo-iness of the slobber, and general messiness of the whole process you will probably do better to allow the handler to show you the bite.

Expect for the bite itself to be shown first, then look at the teeth on both sides. You may need to ask the handler to get the dog to move its tongue so you can see premolars.

Stacking and Moving the Dog
Do not expect the handler to keep the lead/collar tight behind the ears, to hold the head high, to hold the tail up. Tightening the collar that way destroys the line of the lip/dewlap and changes the entire look of the head. The Mastino does not and must not have a clean neck. The Mastino is powerful and even majestic, but it is not elegant and showy. Some Mastini may by their individual nature hold their heads up high and pay attention, but it is far more typical, when in the show ring, for the adult Mastino to stand rather solidly, in an ordinary attitude, looking blandly at the world around them. They do not, and should not, hold their tails up much above the line of the back. The handler should not do this for them either.

By the standards of the "normal" breeds in the AKC conformation ring, the Neapolitan Mastiff is not a "showy" dog.

Moving the Dog
This is a big heavy, massive animal, not a graceful dog. Its movement has power; its movement has strength. But graceful? No, probably not!

Sometimes the movement is described as being like a lion. The Mastino slouches and lumbers. You should be able to see the shoulder working above the back. There should be strong extension of the front leg, sometimes it seems as if that big front foot grabs the earth and rolls it back. When you recognize the lion in the movement, you have absolutely typical Mastino movement. Please reward the lion-like movement as the all-important aspect of type when you see it.

Because of the looseness of the skin and the underlying connective tissue of the dog, when the dog moves the body may sway and the skin on the back will roll from side to side. The front feet will often flop around, may not be lifted exactly in line with the front leg. All of this is also normal and completely typical for the Mastino.

For the Mastino, however, the swaying, paddling, and loose joints does not interfere with the dog's endurance, as this breed is not meant to run for long distance or times.

When the dog moves, it moves with its head lowered and held forward. This is correct for the breed.

Pacing in the show ring is not to be penalized.
When you ask for the dog to move, if it paces instead of trotting, by all means, ask the handler to try again to see if he or she can get the dog to trot. If, however, the dog refuses to trot and continues to pace, you must do your best to assess typical movement at the pace.

We have to remember that a judge doesn't say, "trot the dog around the ring"; a judge says "move the dog around the ring." You don't want to see if the dog can trot, you want to see if the dog has typical movement for the breed. The trot is typical for many breeds, and the pace is also typical for the Mastino.

The dog should be shown on a loose lead. Handlers really should not "snug up" the lead behind the head as the dog moves as that will tighten the wonderful folds around the neck and affects the all-important dewlap.

The tail is joined slightly lower than the topline. It must not be held too high. A tail would be judged as too high if it is straight up (right angles) or curved over the back. A young dog, with more energy and alertness, may hold its tail high for a while, more so than a mature dog would, and a very alert Mastino may indeed hold its tail very stiffly and slightly higher than the back. In general, the tail is held lower, it does have a slight "S" shape, sometimes described as a "pump-handle" shape.

Coat
As described, this is a short-coated dog, no fringe anywhere. There is no preference given to any of the coat colors. Blue happens to be the most common, black the second most common.

Color
The Mastino is not typically brindled like a Mastiff, Bullmastiff or Great Dane, where the striping is regular and over the entire body like tiger stripes. Typically there may be only one or two narrow stripes rather randomly appearing on the body or flank or shoulder of the dog.

Temperament
Temperament of the Neapolitan Mastiff is often misunderstood. Yes, this is a guard dog. A guard of the home and the family. When at home, when on its own territory, or substitute such as when confined in a car, or a crate, the dog will notice passers-by, or intruders, and will want to inspect people entering their grounds.

But the proper Mastino recognizes when it is not on its own grounds, and is not on guard in the same way.

We describe the general attitude of the dog as being calm, yet wary. When you approach many breeds in the show ring or elsewhere, most dogs will alertly watch you approach, will often wag a tail, and will sniff you eagerly. The adult Mastino will probably not do all this.

When the Mastino is not at home, most are far more "detached" in general attitude and you should see this in the show ring. As you approach it, the dog knows that you are not a threat to them or their handler/owner and they may not even seem to notice you walking over to them! They may briefly sniff your hand, and then they will usually simply act unconcerned or bored and ignore you. This is correct temperament. You are no threat. Their owner/handler is calm. The dog is not on its own "turf" so there is no need to go into protect mode.

Younger dogs, or those less experienced, may be more alert, more "wary." They may watch you as you approach, and seem more interested in sniffing you. But they should also willingly accept any approach or touch.

 In Summary

United States Neapolitan Mastiff Club
http://www.neapolitan.org/





 

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