Archive for the ‘The Mastino’ Category

Is a Mastino puppy the right dog for me and my family?

A puppy is a huge responsibility and a Neapolitan Mastiff is a lot more work then the average Lab or Jack Russell so please do some research and reading before jumping into this breed. We recommend reading through EverythingNeo.com, that web site provides real advise to help you with your choice. A Mastino is not a good choice if…. Your family budget is tight. A Neapolitan is an investment in time and money. Yes, a puppy can cost between $2,000 to $4,000, but the cost simply start there: vet bills, training, food and increased cleaning costs all are exponentially larger with the Neo. For example if a lab gets two tablets of antibiotics a day for an infection, the Neo would get six. If a single $250-$500 vet bill would be a hardship consider another breed of dog.  You have

read more

Mastino and Children

The Neapolitan Mastiff is not a ‘kid-friendly’ breed, with a Neo you can never get a 100% guarantee that your new puppy will be good with children.  Like any giant breed the Neo can be dangerous around children simply because of their sheer size. Simple innocent play from a rambunctious puppy or a nip from an adult can result in significant injury to small children. Young children who do not know how to behave around puppies can also hurt puppies. Because of this, giant dogs should always be under close supervision when interacting with children, for everyones sake. Neos or other working breeds should never be around, even if supervised, groups of children as their highly charged play can often be too much for many dogs. As a breed the Neo has more of an ‘edge’ then Great Danes and

read more

What are the common health issues in the Neapolitan Mastiff?

In a recent poll the top 5 health concerns among Neapolitan Mastiff breeders included: Cardiac: Dilated Cardiomyopathy Hip Dysplasia: Elbow Dysplasia: Bloat Prolapse of the gland of the third eyelid: Cherry Eye Autoimmune Deficiency/Disease: Skin: (Demodicosis) Although at BluHouse Mastini we perform health tests on all of our dogs to try to minimize the chances your puppy will suffer from one of these conditions, we cannot completely prevent all of these conditions. Most giant breed dogs are predisposed to bloat and many orthopedic conditions and Neapolitans specifically appear to have an increase predilection for cherry eye and autoimmune conditions. For more information on health and temperament testing please visit our Testing page. The Mastino Health Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the Neapolitan Mastiff, is currently studying these health issues.

read more