Temperament

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THE STANDARD: Temperament

The Standard Says:

Temperament: The Neapolitan Mastiff is steady and loyal to his owner, not aggressive or apt to bite without reason. As a protector of his property and owners, he is always watchful and does not relish intrusion by strangers into his personal space. His attitude is calm yet wary. In the show ring he is majestic and powerful, but not showy.

Commentary

Temperament of the Neapolitan Mastiff is often well misunderstood. Yes this is a guard dog. A guard of the home and the family. And when at home, when on its own territory, or substitute such as when confined in a car, or a crate, the dog will notice passers-by, or intruders, and will want to inspect people entering their grounds.

But the proper Mastino recognizes when it is not on its own grounds, and is not on guard in the same way. .

We describe the general attitude of the dog as being calm, yet wary. When you approach many breeds in the show ring or elsewhere, the dog will alertly watch you approach, and will often wag its tail, will sniff you eagerly. The adult Mastini will not do all this. Since they are not at home, most are far more "detached" in general attitude. As you approach them, the dog knows that you are not threat to them or their handler / owner and they may not even seem to notice you walking over to them! They will probably briefly sniff your hand, and then they will usually simply act unconcerned or bored and ignore you. This is correct temperament. You are no threat. Their owner / handler is calm. The dog is not on its own "turf" so there is no need to go into protect mode.

Younger dogs, or those less experienced, may be more alert, more "wary." They may watch you as you approach, and seem more interested in sniffing you. But they should also willingly accept any approach or touch.

Regarding other animals: this is not a particularly dog-aggressive breed. As with any breed, naturally you cannot expect adult un-neutered dogs of the same gender to always get along, particularly males when there is a bitch in heat. However, the mastino gets along with other animals just fine. Most will chase cats.

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