Talk to any Neapolitan Mastiff breeder or enthusiast and they will all give you a slightly different view of the origins of the Neapolitan Mastiff. The following information is what we believe to be feasible through our own research into the breed. I guess the same can be true when tracing the history of anything or any topic - the 'facts' are only as good as they were documented at the time.

One thing is without question though, this is truely a unique dog. The Neapolitan Mastiff, or Mastino Napoletano (Mastini – being the plural of Mastino) is only relatively new to the modern world, since the mid to late 1940’s infact. However, it is believed to date back as far as 3000BC. By taking a look and images in bas-reliefs, statues and painting we can trace the ancestry of this breed to the anchient war dogs of Persia, Egypt and Asia.

It is believed that Alexander the Great had crossed the giant Macedonian and Epirian War Dogs with a short-haired Indian dog to give birth to the ‘Molossus'. This dog was easily recognized by having a wide, short muzzle and massive dewlap. Its prime existence was to fight lions, elephants and men on the battlefield. It is easy to see today that the Neapolitan Mastiff can be linked to this animal from the past. Actually people today use the term ‘Molosser', when describing heavy, large boned dogs. It was the Romans though while conquering Greece who used the Molloser both on the battlefield and in the arena. It was after the invasion of England the Romans now had access to even larger Mastiff dogs which they used to cross with their own war dogs. The result was several different breeds that are direct descendants from these dogs, all with a lot in common: incredible master devotion, outstanding protective natures of people and places, and of course are massive, imposing sized animals.

From that point over many centuries, Mastino breeders in Southern Italy in the Neapolitan area had the mindset of breeding a guard dog for their homes and estates, from that thinking they gave birth to a breed of dog that was both massive in size due to heavy bone and had abundant loose skin and large dewlap. The nature of this dog was such that it was totally devoted to its master and showed undying love for its family. Make no mistake though this breed was designed to protect by detecting unwanted intruders, the dog was not required to attack but needed to be vigilant in its job to deter any intruder in order to protect its property. The dog possessed unbelievable power, remarkable speed and precision for such a giant creature.

It was not until the mid 1940's that a number of Italian breeders began to promote this stunning breed and the first ‘show’ was held in Napels in 1946. The standard for the Neapolitan Mastiff was first identified in 1948 by Dr. P. Scanziani and the breed was recognised by the FCI in 1949. By the early 70’s the breed was fairly well represented in most European countries as well as the USA and slowly filtering to other parts of the globe.

One could say that the Neapolitan Mastiff has a type which is possibly the most unique in appearance of all canine breeds. It was developed in the countryside of Italy by decades of inbreeding and as a result the Neo (as it is often now called) is a very unusual dog with its wrinkle, dewlap, abundant loose skin, massive size, and distinctive feline movement, all traits resulting from breeding recessive genes. To couple this appearance with a sound foundation of health and composition is very much a skill, a challenge and requires a firm understanding of this ancient, living wonder.

It is from this understanding the name of our kennel originated ‘SFIDANTE': means 'Challenger' in Italian, and that is the challenge we have set ourselves. To learn as much as possible about Mastini and develop this breed without compromise here in Australia, as it has been done in the mother country of the Mastino Napoletano.