Help with a positive identification please???

[dvdslw]

Hello, I am new to the forum and new to the Mastiff breed as well. We adopted a 9 month old male from the local SPCA and would like to get some input on his roots. He is listed as a Neopolitan Mastiff and we are going with that until we hear otherwise but after doing some online research on the Neo's, they all seem to have more wrinkles so I'm wondering if he is another type of Mastiff? The only full Blue mastiffs I have found are the Neos and Japanese Mastiff. He is believed to be 9 months old and underweight, here's some pics of him still at the pound, Thank You!

 

[Cody]

There is also the Cane Corso, a very very close relative of the Neo that also carries the grey/blue gene.
It is hard to say in those pictures, once you get him home and get some better ones we will be able to help you more.
From the pictures I would say that he is a Neo, or large part. At 9 months he has a whole lot of growing to do still.
These breeds grow in height until 1 or a bit older and don't finish filling out until 3 in some lines.
Their heads take a while as well.
He looks like a sweet heart.
Have you had a mastiff or dominant breed before? Be prepared the Neo is not the easiest of the mastiffs. They can be quite dominant and require a whole lot of work. But so worth it.

 

[dvdslw]

No Mastiff but we recently lost our Doberman of 13yrs and went in search of another when we found this beautiful Mastiff at the pound. We can pick him up tuesday afternoon after he visits the vet which was closed for the holiday and we are trying to figure out the best game plan for when he arrives. I have been tirelessly searching web sites and literature about the breed and there is such a wide range of practices or regiments people have with them that its quite confusing. Some say feed only fresh, some say only dry, some say crate, some say never crate, we will probably not be able to feed fresh just for the cost of such a diet so we are looking into a dry/wet mix for him and are leaning towards having him an indoor kennel instead of a crate so he can move around some. Any input would be appreciated about do's & dont's and consider that he is already house trained (according to the spca staff) and 9 months old. Thank You so much for your feedback!

 

[Cody]

I would recommend crate training, it is such a useful tool.
2 of our dogs are and 1 is not. I will never have a dog that isn't crate trained again
As far as food goes, use what works I would recommend an all stages food with a lower protein %. We really like Acana for our dogs.
I am looking forward to seeing your pictures.
I love Neo's. I managed to talk my husband into Corso so eventually I will work up to a Neo.

 

[The Ricardo]

beautiful looking dog either way whatever he turns out to be but definately has lots of Neo in him.


Cody question for ya, we use to feed our 2 smaller dogs Acana since puppies but since getting our Corso we switched to Fromm's as the protein % was really high in the Acana for the Corso but having a tough time keeping the weight on our Corso during growth spurts and our vet informed us that Fromm's has a lower calorie/cup than Acana or Orijen which totally makes sense. Are you feeding your pup Acana? I know Fromm's is good food but i want to switch back to Acana as soon as possible and am wondering what ya think...

 

[Smart_Family]

The only formulas of Acana appropriate protein wise and calcium and phosphorus wise for mastiff pups under a year are the Wild Prairie or Pacifica formulas and that's coming from a dog nutritionist who herself feeds Acana.

 

[Cody]

We use the Wild Prairie, it is higher in protein then some others but the amount of food that they need for healthy growth is way less then with some lower protein grain foods.
Plus I like supporting local business's

 

[NeoBull]

I'd like to see some better pictures

He looks like a Neapolitan to me... just not "over done/typey" Also, I've heard that they can go through a teenage less wrinkled phase and the the get a little more wrinkle back?

---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:33 PM ----------

Also likely he could be a Neo/pit cross... that would likely be blue, less wrinkled, smaller (how big is he?)... and I think it's something people intentionally mix and call a Bandogge (sp?)

 

[NeoBull]

Also likely he could be a Neo/pit cross... that would likely be blue, less wrinkled, smaller (how big is he?)... and I think it's something people intentionally mix and call a Bandogge (sp?)

 

[GavTheMighty]

he looks like a neo to me seen plenty with the same look they dont all have the over the top wrinkles.

 

[LadyDogLover]

Hi,

Your pictures aren't very clear, but from what I see--I would say he is more Neo than anything else. Neo's don't fully
mature until they're 2 or so (physically). Some shelters will allow neutering to be completed after you take the dog homewith you. I would suggest you wait until he is 2 years old so you can fully see his beauty. His head will be massive. On
the other hand, this is not a breed for a novice owner. They are extremely devoted to their people...very protective of
their people and property and whatever they deem theirs. Mentally it takes longer to mature, about 3 years of age.
He appears to Blue aka Gray...at first glance of the first pic I thought he was Tawny. He has the S curve in his tail,
although it looks a little longer than usual. I would suggest using a grain free adult kibble that isn't extremely high in
protein.