Neapolitan Mastiff

Discussion in 'The Bucket' started by Steve Goldsmith, Apr 1, 2011.

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  1. Steve Goldsmith

    Steve Goldsmith Fire Shrimp

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    I'm thinking about adopting a 4-month old Neo Mastiff from my local veterinarian. :) he's currently 78 lbs(for a puppy?!!?) and will reach at least 180 as an adult. He seems really docile, and acts like a stuffed animal. :D his name is buddy. I currently have a very peaceful and lazy chocolate Labrador. Will there be any serious aggression between the two? Are there any mastiff owners that can give their input on.caring for this dog? I already know about the short LS and heart problems, and right now the 4 MONTH PUPPY is eating 6 CUPS of food every day. :O is it a good choice? :) TIA
     
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  3. dowtish

    dowtish Horrid Stonefish

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  4. SushiGirl

    SushiGirl Barracuda

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    I hope you like buckets of slobber heheheh.
     
  5. Siddique

    Siddique Dragon Wrasse

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    I have one. his name is Ceasar. He is my best friend. I love him to death;)
    I don't have any pics of him now but I'll give you a peak tomorrow;)
    They're loving, gentle giants. Not a very good guard dog tho. Their looks intimidate people but as soon as any stranger comes into the yard, he rolls over his massive body for a well deserved belly rub::)
     
  6. kcbrad

    kcbrad Giant Squid

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    I've heard mastiffs are incredibly sweet dogs, but large, and need to be taught who's boss from very early on. Being that he is a puppy, it should help lessen any aggression with the resident dog, but it's really different in every situation. Depends on the dogs involved. You know your dog best!

    Usually it's best to mix sexes, but I have two female dogs and they get along great.
     
  7. Steve Goldsmith

    Steve Goldsmith Fire Shrimp

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    Thanks for the tips everyone. :D I'll have to consider it. Feeding him will cost atleast 6x more than what I pay for Frank. :-/ but I've always wanted a massif.... And now I can get it without a price tag. :D
     
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  9. Siddique

    Siddique Dragon Wrasse

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    Oh my, feeding puts a pretty large dent in my sps budget but my other 5 dogs will take the wrap for that.
    He deserves it all.
     
  10. PackLeader

    PackLeader Giant Squid

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    An average neo male will not be over 180, not even close. You'd have to go to an English mastiff for that kind of size, and that's still at the upper end. Of course its still a puppy and it is possible, but neos are smaller than the English mastiffs. Average neo male is probably around 140-150.
    But they are great and loving dogs if they get the proper training early on. They are a guardian breed, so many can be unsure around strangers at first. Socializing early can help that but with a lot of them the guardian will always be in them, so just be prepared for that. They slobber a ton. But they have easy to care for coats and they are usually not very vocal, which is a plus. They are not prone biters either, if they get that unnerved they will tend to tackle and pin rather than bite.
    About your only real concern would be with your already existing male dog. Mastiffs, and neos specially, can have alpha complexes.
    I would ask the vet if you could set up a play date with your lab. Bring the lab down and see how they interact and get along with each other first. Then go from there.
     
  11. Steve Goldsmith

    Steve Goldsmith Fire Shrimp

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    They already have. The lab was in for a checkup when the vet mentioned Buddy. They seemed to get along just fine for a first time, but I'm worried about when buddy is an adult. My lab knows his place, I don't really want to say he's on the bottom of the food chain, but he never tries to establish dominance over anything. :-/ except for his food bowl.
     
  12. missionsix

    missionsix Super Moderator Staff Member

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