Both Lottatore Brindisino and Neapolitan Mastiff are originated from Italy. Both Lottatore Brindisino and Neapolitan Mastiff are of same height. Lottatore Brindisino may weigh 24 kg / 52 pounds lesser than Neapolitan Mastiff. Lottatore Brindisino may live 3 years more than Neapolitan Mastiff. Lottatore Brindisino may have less litter size than Neapolitan Mastiff. Lottatore Brindisino requires Low Maintenance. But Neapolitan Mastiff requires Moderate Maintenance
The Lottatore Brindisino, whose native name is Cande da Marcellaio, is a large molosser type dog which hails from Brindisi, Italy.
He is a rare dog, courageous and effectively used as a herding dog too – to watch over cattle.
When you see him, all hulky and muscular, you realize that its because this is a breed of dog that has been used for fighting.
The dog was specially created by selectively breeding certain dogs such as the Rottweiler, Pit Bull and Cane Corso. The breed has never been standardized or recognized by any major kennel clubs, and is fairly unknown outside of Italy.
An ancient breed, the Neapolitan Mastiffs are massive dogs with a history of protecting their family and their property. The breed has deep rooted protective instincts and they are very frightening in appearance. The Neapolitan is of the Molosser group of dogs, all of whom probably came from the same line. It is known that all the mastiffs in Europe are descendants of the Tibetan Mastiff. The Tibetan Mastiff is considered the most ancient of all canines.
The Asian Mastiffs came from India to Greece around 300 BC with Alexander the Great. Then the breed was brought to the Romans by the Greeks and then introduced them in their circus in fights. Another possibility is that around 500 BC the mastiffs came to Britain from the Phoenicians. Either way the Roman Molossus is the ancestor of the Neapolitan Mastiff.
The Romans crossed the breed with the English Mastiff around 55 BC and developed a premiere war dog that was called a Mastini.
The breed eventually became extinct in Europe with the exception of Campania. The breed was recognized in 1946 with the standard accepted in 1949. However, it is believed that the Neapolitan Mastiff has been continuously present in Campania for over two thousand years. The breed was initially developed as war dogs and for the Roman coliseum spectacles.
In 1946 Dr. Piero Scanziani established a program to breed them in Italy. He wrote the breed standard in 1949.
Today the Neo is a farm dog, an army dog, a police dog and a guard dog. They were shown in Italy for the first time in 1946 but only in 2004 was the breed recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). It was 1973 when the Neapolitan Mastiff Club of America was born and 1996 when the standard was approved by the AKC. They are still a rare breed in the United States.
The Lottatore Brindisino is a medium sized Molosser dog, robustly built, muscular and with large shoulders and chest.
He stands at 60-70cm in height and weighs approximately 40 – 55kg. The head is large, the nose mostly back, and traditionally the tail ad ears have been cropped to avoid injuries during dog fights. In more recent years, the ears and tail are left, so that the ears are medium length and floppy and the tail long.
The coat of the dog is short and dense and found in a number of different colors such as fawn, black or brindle.
The Cane Lottatore Brindisino is a strong looking dog and is also referred to as the Brindisi Wrestler Dog. Today it is a popular watchdog in Italy.
Strong-willed and somewhat aggressive, the Brindisi isn’t looked upon as a family companion. He is also a dog that is going to need plenty of exercise, and training and socialization will be a must for this dog who is loyal to his owner and other human family members but doesn’t extend a friendly paw to strangers. This actually makes him a good watchdog.
He is also aggressive towards other dogs and because of this aggressive side of him, he isn’t recommended as a dog to have around small children.
The Neapolitan Mastiff is a massive dog , so powerful and very intimidating in his looks. With an incredibly large head and hanging folds and wrinkles, the Neo is an impressive animal. His inner nobility and dignity is evident in his stance and the way he holds himself. He is relaxed, calm, quiet yet imposing none the less. His coat is dark whether black, tawny, gray or mahogany. He is muscular beyond imagination. The Neo is 10-15% longer than he is tall.
On his massive head his eyes are deep set and covered by his eye lids that droop. His eyes are blue as puppies then dark and coordinated with his coat. and his nose is large and the color of his coat. Ears are natural or can be cropped, and they carry their tail straight and curving back. The Neo has round paws and arched toes.
Like many dogs who have a mix of breeds involved with their development, you can’t be 100% sure of the dogs character.
The Lottatore Brindisino is a mix of Rottweiler, Pit Bull and Cane Corso. He has been used as a fighting dog, and while he can be a loyal, devoted pet to his owner, he does have aggression issues and would not be regarded as a good pet choice for first time dog owners and those with small children.
Then again, a dog’s personality depends a lot on the way he is raised and the type of owners he has and the way he is socialized.
Older children in their family. No toddlers or strangers.
Protective yet quiet, calm, relaxed
No they won’t adapt well to apartment living or to strangers.
They are intelligent and trainable but must be socialized and know the human is the alpha or they will take over.
The Lottatore Brindisino is a muscular, heavily set dog, and care must be taken that puppies, of which this breed can have 5 – 8, don’t grow too quickly. Strenuous exercise is never recommended for puppies below the age of 1, so as to avoid pressure on the soft, young bones.
Other health issues to watch for include panosteitis, an inflammatory condition of the bones as well as skin allergies and lymphoma.
Painful inflammation occurs in the leg bones and cause lameness which can occur suddenly. It’s a condition that affects young dogs that grow too quickly.
Speak to your vet about how to avoid this with your puppy. Affected dogs are usually between 2 and 18 months of age. A typical symptom of this illness is a sudden painful lameness of any of the legs. It’s time to get your pet to the vet because he will certainly require pain control meds.
The Neapolitan Mastiff is prone to many of the same issues as any massive, extra large breed. The most common of these is Cherry Eye.
With his short coat, the Lottatore Brindisino is looked upon as fairly low maintenance and easy to groom. A good brush-down twice a week will remove loose hairs from this moderate-shedding dog. While you brush him, run your hands over his body to feel for any unusual lumps and to also check him over for fleas and ticks.
Other grooming chores for this Molosser type dog of yours is to check inside his ears for redness. The inside of his ears, particularly with floppy-eared dogs, don’t always get enough air to them, and they become damp. With wax and dirt, inside the ears is a breeding place for bacteria.
The inside of the ears need to be kept clean and dry. His teeth will also need to be cleaned 2 or 3 times a week and his nails clipped.
If you don’t have the time to keep up with your pet’s grooming needs, there are professional dog groomers who will do all of this very important grooming for you.
The Lottatore Brindisino is a strong, muscular dog who will require a high protein diet to remain healthy. If you feed him a commercially manufactured dog food, make sure its a quality one, packed full of vitamins and minerals as opposed to preservatives, colorants and fillers found in the low quality brands.
These dog foods also don’t satisfy your pet and he wants to eat more and can then battle with obesity. This is not good news as obesity puts a dog at risk of developing hip dysplasia.
Follow the feeding instructions on the food packaging. If you’re in any doubt about what to feed your Lottatore Brindisino, speak to a dog expert or your vet. If you are feeding your dog a homemade diet, that is excellent news for your pet. Food such as cooked chicken, brown rice or pasta and raw and cooked vegetables mixed into his dry kibble will be excellent for him. Also add in some raw meat to his kibble from time to time.
Such a diet, simple, tasty and nutritious, is complete and balanced. Make sure that he always has a bowl of fresh, cool water at his disposal. Wash out the bowl and keep things clean for your pet.
Provide your pet with a nice, comfortable, warm, dry bed.
When outdoors, make sure your pet has access to a shady spot out of the sun.
Make sure he has shelter away from rain.
Make sure you exercise your pet and that you interact with him. Dogs are social creatures.
Neapolitans grow fast and so don’t overfeed when they are young. Lower protein and higher fat content.
Don’t overfeed the adult as they can become obese.
This big hearty breed needs exercise but not too much. They overheat easily. The puppy will push himself, so you have to make sure he doesn’t over do it. No tug of war games. They need a long walk twice every day.