MyDogBreeds
Neapolitan Mastiff is originated from Italy but Labrador Retriever is originated from Canada. Neapolitan Mastiff may grow 8 cm / 4 inches higher than Labrador Retriever. Neapolitan Mastiff may weigh 43 kg / 95 pounds more than Labrador Retriever. Neapolitan Mastiff may live 4 years less than Labrador Retriever. Both Neapolitan Mastiff and Labrador Retriever has almost same litter size. Neapolitan Mastiff requires Moderate maintenance. But Labrador Retriever requires Low maintenance
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 Labrador Retriever has its origin from Newfoundland which is an island.Dorset Eskimos are the people who settled down first in Newfoundland. Newfoundland was discovered in 1494 by the Bristol traders from England. The people in the Newfoundland used Lab to help them during fishing.They were recognized as a kennel club breed in England.
The Lab has its special talents in fishing, it nicely holds the fish in its mouth and swims well to bring it to the fisherman who was its master. They are also used to hunt game birds and waterfowl.
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.
Lab is a nice companion and also it helps in doing several works if it is trained. Lab is the America's most popular breed. They help the hunters, works with police and also serves physically challenged people. They are very friendly and it helps people so much by doing many works. They have very good sensitivity and are so affectionate with family members.
They have very high energy level in their young stage. The Lab is a muscular and athletic dog. They are sweet natured and well deserved. Lab needs physical and mental activities regularly as they are very intelligent and energetic. The pure bred Labs have black, chocolate and yellow colours. They are very interested in hunting and roaming. The young Lab should be given training to swim as a child, as they likes it very much. They takes more time to mature hence remaining as teenager for a long time when compared with other breeds.
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 Lab has a very good adaptability, it will get adjusted with its environment.
Lab has a good learning ability and it can learn upto 300 human phrases. They are the 7th most intelligent dog breed.
They are very much interested in playing with kids and are a very good companion for them.
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.
Malformation of hips, knees and elbow, Chances for Cancer.
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.
The 2 month old puppy should be given 200 to 250gms of food. 3 month old puppy should be given 250 to 300gms of food and 6 months older should be given 350 to 450gms. The varieties of food which are popular is kibbles, Barf, wet food and Home cooked puppy food.
Lab can be fed by dry kibbles and also by raw meat or bones. Now-a-days most of the Lab are being fed with kibbles. Kibbles are the dried pellets of dog food that can be bought in pet shop or even online. Raw meat and bones are very much popular food among dog owners in UK.
For good health, Lab should be fed by a diet controlled food. Because overfeeding will lead to overweight of the dog as it causes weakness of bones.
Lab is a very energetic dog, so it should be given some time to play daily. It will be very happy if it is given a fenced ground to play and burn off his natural energy. Also it will be very good for lab if it is given chance to swim weekly once.