Lips: Heavy, thick, and long, the upper lips join beneath the nostrils to form an inverted
"V". The upper lips form the lower outer borders of the muzzle, and the lowest part of these
borders is made by the corners of the lips. The corners turn outward to reveal the flews, and are in
line with the outside corners of the eyes.
Bite: Scissors bite or pincer bite is standard; slight undershot is allowed. Dentition
is complete.
Fault: More than 1 missing premolor
Severe Faults: Overshot Jaw; pronounced undershot jaw which disrupts the outline of
the front plane of the muzzle; more than 2 missing teeth
Commentary
The long lips of the Mastino are part of the distinct look of the dog.
When viewed from the front, the lips must join beneath the muzzle and then separate below the jaw as an
up-side-down "V". The preferred bite is a scissors bite, or a pincer bite, but an undershot
bite is allowed as long as the undershot jaw is not so extensive that it is visible through the upper
lips.
If the undershot jaw turns the up-side-down "V" into an up-side-down "U" this is too
much undeshot.
The lips themselves drop down, and the corners turn outward to reveal the flews. The revealed flew is
in line with the outside of the eye. The lips themselves drop down, and the corners turn outward to reveal
the flews. The revealed flew is in line with the outside of the eye. The lips themselves drop down,
and the corners turn outward to reveal the flews. The revealed flew is in line with the outside of the
eye.
FAULT: More than 1 missing premolor
SEVERE FAULTS: Overshot Jaw; pronounced undershot jaw which disrupts the outline of
the front plane of the muzzle; more than 2 missing teeth
One or more missing pre-molars is a pretty common problem for this breed. In general, it's not considered
a big problem by breeders. Of course, we all know that if we ignore it in breeding programs, soon the
problem WILL be a big problem. It's just that right now, if missing teeth is the biggest problem a breeder
has in his or her breeding program, they've solved a lot of other problems that the breed is facing.
We would appreciate it if judges would check, and note missing teeth. From the point of view of selecting
the best mastino in the ring, however, you must always select the dog with the best WHaM factor, (Wrinkle,
Head, and Mass) that generates the best and most distinctive Emotional Response in you.
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