Neapolitan Mastiff Grooming

About the Neapolitan Mastiff

Usually a short coat means a low maintenance dog. The Boxer, the Great Dane and the American Staffordshire Terrier all get a curry mitt once a week and that is most of it.

A Neapolitan Mastiff has that same short coat and is one of the more demanding dogs here, because the coat is not the job. The skin is.

This is a breed defined by loose skin: deep folds over the head and muzzle, a heavy hanging dewlap under the throat, and folds down the neck and shoulders. Every one of those is a warm, dark, damp space against the skin, and every one needs cleaning and drying by hand because the dog cannot reach any of them.

The folds, and the daily job they create

Fold dermatitis, sometimes called skin fold pyoderma, is the defining health and grooming problem of the breed, and it is close to inevitable if the folds are not maintained.

The mechanism is simple. Two surfaces of skin sit pressed together, they trap moisture from sweat, saliva, tears and food, air cannot circulate, and bacteria and yeast multiply in the warm damp. The result is red, sore, smelly, sometimes ulcerated skin the owner cannot see because it is inside a fold.

The routine is clean and then dry, and the drying is the half people skip.

Every day, work through the folds on the face and muzzle, the ones around the eyes, the dewlap under the throat and any on the neck and shoulders. Open each one, wipe the inside with a soft damp cloth or an unscented wipe, then dry it thoroughly with a dry cloth or a tissue. A fold cleaned and left damp is worse than one not cleaned at all.

Do not use anything perfumed, and do not use human wipes containing alcohol on inflamed skin.

Any fold that is red, raw, bleeding, smells strongly or has a discharge is already infected and needs a veterinarian, because at that point it needs medication rather than cleaning.

The drool, which is not optional

The loose lips and heavy flews mean a Neapolitan Mastiff drools, constantly and impressively, and it is worth being honest with anyone considering the breed that this does not improve with training.

The grooming consequence is that saliva runs into the folds around the mouth and down into the dewlap, and it keeps them permanently wet. That is why the face folds and the dewlap are the first places to break down.

Wipe the mouth and jowls after every meal and every drink, and dry them. Keep a cloth where the dog eats.

Saliva also stains, particularly on a pale dog, and it smells once it has soaked into skin and hair for a while.

Food packing into the lower lip folds is a related problem: check inside the lip fold at the corner of the mouth, since that is where food debris sits and rots.

None of this is difficult. It is just daily, and it is the actual commitment of owning the breed.

The eyes, the ears and the rest of the loose skin

The same loose skin that forms the folds affects the eyelids, and this breed commonly has eyelids that roll inward or outward, or both on the same dog.

Rolled in means lashes and hair rub the surface of the eye, which is painful and scars it. Rolled out leaves the eye exposed and collecting dust and debris, with a visible red rim. Both are surgically correctable and both are common enough that they should be checked for rather than waited for.

Practically, wipe the eye area daily as part of the fold routine, wiping outward and away, and never spray anything toward the face.

Squinting, a discharge, a visibly red or cloudy eye, or a dog rubbing its face on furniture needs a veterinarian rather than more wiping.

Ears are cropped in some countries and left natural in others, and a natural drop ear on a dog with this much skin around the base needs the usual weekly lift, look and smell.

The coat itself, for completeness: a rubber curry mitt once a week takes the dead hair out, and the dog sheds moderately. Bathe every six weeks or so, and then dry every fold by hand afterwards, which is the longest part of the bath by far.

Size, joints and getting a groomer to take the dog

At a hundred and ten to a hundred and fifty pounds this is a genuinely large animal, and grooming logistics matter.

Many salons cannot physically handle a dog of this size, or do not have a table rated for it, and mobile groomers are often a better answer. Ask when booking rather than turning up.

Joints are a real consideration. The breed carries a lot of weight on a heavy frame, hip and elbow problems are common, and standing still on a hard surface for an hour is genuinely tiring for an older dog. Ask for a non slip surface, breaks, and as much of the appointment done with the dog lying down as possible.

This is also a guardian breed, naturally wary of strangers and protective of its people, so it needs the same approach as the Tibetan Mastiff: handling from puppyhood, a groomer who meets the dog first, and honesty about temperament when booking.

Nails need doing every three to four weeks and are a two person job at this size.

The breed is short lived, often seven to nine years, and much of that is size related. Keeping the dog lean is the single most useful thing an owner does for it.

What to tell your groomer

Say the folds are the appointment, not the coat, and ask for every fold cleaned and then dried by hand.

Say that drying the folds after the bath is the part that matters most, and allow the time.

Ask for unscented products only and nothing perfumed on fold skin.

Point out any fold that has been sore recently so it gets checked rather than scrubbed.

Ask for a non slip surface, breaks, and work done lying down where possible, and mention any joint trouble.

Say how the dog is with strangers, and confirm the salon can physically handle the size before you arrive.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Neapolitan Mastiff