Neopolitan Mastiff?

Hello all!

I need your collective guidance. I have always been able to count on you all for help and I need it now! My husband and I recently lost our precious Laurel, a Great Dane of seven years, to liver failure. The house being so empty now, we told ourselves when the right dog for us came along, we would jump at the chance. That time is now... we think.
My husband Eric found a 14 month old Neopolitan Mastiff on petfinder.org, and he is in love. We met her over the weekend, and she is a really sweet puppy. She is lazy, and very pliable, like playdough. She is very skinny (major ribs and hips showing, not good) and has a few scars from battle with the house Boxer (they kept the boxer, got rid of her.) They said her nickname was Soo, but that her name was Shady. She doesn't respond to Soo and 1 out of 3 times, she doesn't respond to Shady either. It doesn't worry me, but a dog that age should know its name, no? We are thinking of renaming her Chewy. We have Vader the Cat (and in hindsight, she truly IS evil... in a "we'll keep her cus she's funny" way) and possibly Chewy the dog. I should point out we also have a Star Wars themed bathroom. Oh yes.
After all that, here is my REAL concern. When we met her, I was shocked at the little amount of wrinkles she had on her face. If any of you know what a Neo mastiff looks like, it's like a sharpei times 50 for the face wrinkles. She looks more like an English Mastiff, but has the distinctive blue/grey coat (she looks really pretty except for the skinny thing). Her foster mum said that the vet told her some don't come as wrinkled, and some don't really get their wrinkles until their full grown, which can be until 3. When we were driving home, we both thought at the same time she kinda had the eyes and forehead of a pitbull.
The former owners seemd a little shifty. The couldn't produce vaccination records, or a reason why they were surrendering her. She wasn't spayed, adn the name thing really bugs me. Why would you say the dog responds to a nickname when it doesn't? The foster mum said they paid $3000 for the puppy, which would make sense for a mastiff, but we have very little more info. I guess I'm fretting because Laurel came with her AKC certificate and vaccination record, which proved to us that 1) pure dane and 2) well taken care of. This dog to me seemed to have been neglected, and if she's part pit bull, maybe that's why they got rid of her. But she is SO sweet. We'll take her for sure, but if any of you at ALL know about neos, please let me know! I saw one on petfinder.org once that was two and not so wrinkled, so it gives me hope, but again, I saw a Neo/Cane Corso mix that looked more neo than "Soo" does!!

Any thoughts?
Thanks a million! If anyone can guide me on how to add a picture, I have a few!

RuffNTumble

So sorry you lost your Great Dane.:(

I know which Neo/Cane Corso you mean, and IMO that dog has nothing BUT Neo in it. Breed descriptions on Petfinder are often wrong.

As for the dog you are interested in, I just took a look, but the pic is very dark and even when I lightened it I couldn't see her that well. From what I CAN see, she doesn't look very Neo to me. How much does she weigh?

She could be a very badly bred Neo (if they got her from a pet store or backyard breeder which they probably did) or she could be a mix. Does it matter very much? Just curious.:)

She sounds wonderful! Just remember that Neos are a guarding breed, and need consistant and firm training. This would apply to mixes as well, if they are temperamentally like the Neo part. They can also be dog aggressive.

As for the name thing - anyone who would starve a puppy and then dump her would hardly be giving her attention and teaching her a name to respond to. I'm sure she was tossed outside and forgotten, poor thing.

I hope you adopt her and give her the loving home she deserves!:)

Well I might be able to help I have owned a Neapolitan. I now own an English Mastiff. If you have questions ask away. Not all Neo's are very wrinkly, it really depends on the bitch and sire and the lineage of the dogs. Same as bone varies as well from the lineage. There is a really great book on the Neapolitan and it goes into a lot of detail The Official Book of the Neapolitan Mastiff this book is out of print but you may be able to find a used copy of it. Neapolitan mastiff: A complete and reliable handbook Neapolitan Mastiff: A Comprehensive Owner's Guide (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series) These are a few good books although they are not that easy to find. If you live in Toronto there is a store called the Pirannah Shop that has an excellent selection of books on dogs and rare breeds. They are at Lawrence and Avenue Rd.
There is also an excellent web site for Mastiff health this is a vet that specializes in Mastiffs there health problems most of the usuals for giant breeds hips, knees, overheating, bloat and the are prone to Wobblers syndrome not common but does happen. The vet's name is Dr. Robyn Smith and there is a website for her she is so knowlegable about the breed. My Neo was not at all dog aggressive they tend to be more protective then aggressive and there is a huge difference. I think the breed gets a bad rap because of there size and when there ears are cropped it makes them look more intimidating but they are big sucks. Mastiffs are velcro dogs and love to be with you. Hope this answers some questions and you can pm or email me.

Wow, what were the odds there would be TWO posts on neo mastiffs today? And what luck I have you both replying to me!

LR- thanks for taking the time to take a look! If I knew how to post pictures on here, I could add a picture of her face on here, she really doesn't look all that "neo mastiffy" if that makes any sense. It really doesn't matter if she is a purebred or not, but if she's a mix, I'd like to know what she's mixed WITH, so there are no surprises. She is not aggressive, she is REALLY lazy. She'll take two steps and lay down. She was very protective of her foster mum and either followed her around, or always watched her. She is a real sweetie, and she is ours this Friday!

Mastifflover- thank you for your wealth of information! I was a little afraid when we agreed to adopt her that we would not find any resources, since neos are considered a rare breed, but if there is a vet in the TO area, that would be fantastic!

Thanks again! I'll come back when I have more information. I think you're right about the poor breeding and the backyard keeping though. They did say that they wanted her to be an inside dog, since she does not eat when she is kept outside, and since she weighed about 80 pounds when she came into rescue (she's 95 pounds now, but still underweight) I think she was kept outside. Poor baby.

Thanks!

RuffNTumble

Hi Ruff, check your private messages

I have a neo mastiff, tojo. He is 1 1/2 years old, 130+ pounds. He is completely different than any other dog I've had or have (otis is his friend). Otis (dobrador) learned very quickly, sit, stay, come, very trainable. Tojo, on the other hand, when you tell him to come, sit, stay, he looks at you as he's lying on the ground, he may lift his head, look around and put it back down to go to sleep again. Not very trainable (we're used to the cross lab breeds) He's not into the big walks Otis is into. After one block, he falls to the ground, rolls around and does not want to go any farther. Funny dog! If we take my daughter (5) to the park, he won't take his eyes off her. If anyone (stranger) comes close to her, he will get a bit aggitated and start to bark.

He is very thin in the back end and doesn't have alot of wrinkles either, but eats lots. He starts doggy school soon so we can learn how to have total control over him.

He seems to be dumb as a post, but I know that's just what he wants us to think.

Well if it is one thing that I have learned is that one thing Mastiff are not stupid exactly the opposite. I have owned a Neo and I now own and English they have actually been the easiest dogs to train over any other breed I have owned. They are not highly active dogs especially in the heat. They in fact do not do well in the heat and you have to be very careful of heat stroke. They are very protective of family and home. They will guard you and your family they are not aggressive but are protective. They normally won't attack they will if they or there family are threatened and I mean visibly threatened. Not all Neos are really wrinkly, he does sound very small for a Neo but they don't fully mature till they are 3 years old. You should be able to see his back to ribs. Can I ask how long you have had him? If you could post a picture of him I could probably tell you if he is the right weight or under.