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The Standard
The Neapolitan Mastiff Standard
 The original Italian Neapolitan Mastiff Standard was written in 1946, rewritten in 1967 and modified and rewritten again in 1989. It is known as the official ENCI version of the Neapolitan Mastiff Standard. Also in 1989 to 1991, the Italian standard was translated into French, German, Spanish, and finally English, because these four languages are the official languages of the FCI which is the mother organization of which ENCI is a part. If you go to ENCI's Web site you will find the standards worded in the 5 languages. You will note, however, that the Standard written in Italian differs considerably in its wording, not necessarily in its overall meaning, from the standards in the other four languages. The standards written in the other 4 languages are worded basically the same. |
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History of the Neapolitan Mastiff Standard in the United States
When the Neapolitan Mastiff was imported to the States and when various groups of people started their own Neapolitan Mastiff clubs in the US, starting in the early 1970's, these groups wrote up their own standards for the breed. By 1991, when the USNMC was formed, there were lots of mastino and rare breed club standards for the Neapolitan Mastiff floating around and in print. None of them was similar in content to the Italian Standards. The USNMC adopted as its standard for the breed, the Italian Standards as written in 1967 and 1989. This confused people because one standard was very long and one was quite short and there were subtle differences between them.
As the USNMC was pursuing AKC recognition of the breed, (and it was vigorously backed in this effort by ENCI and the FCI), it had to fulfill the AKC requirement of producing a standard of the breed in AKC format and lingo. In other words, the AKC format and philosophy of standard writing differed considerably from the FCI format and philosophy of standard writing. It was the duty of the USNMC, and primarily myself as head of the standards committee, to format a standard in AKC lingo that was in content a correct and current description of the Neapolitan Mastiff in Italy today.
This process of rewriting the FCI standard of the breed to AKC specifications in format and language took 4 years. This 4 years of work was based on acute study of the breed in Italy and the breed standard for a decade previously. The current USNMC standard is the result of 4 years of writing, and rewriting, and submitting the rewritten versions of the standard to both the Italians and the AKC. It was rehashed and modified by various individuals in the USNMC standards committee, and sent back again to the AKC and Italy. During these 4 years, the USNMC version of the standard went back and forth across continents umpteen times until the current wording was settled on by all sides.
Finally, the standard was approved both by the AKC and by ENCI. When this occurred, the USNMC membership adopted this newly approved standard as the one by which it would abide. It is printed here in its entirety. In some cases, it is more specific in its description of the Neo than the earlier existent standards. If you read it and compare it with the other 3 Italian standards and the FCI standards as written in 4 other languages, you will see that the ultimate description of the dog as it is in Italy today is preserved and clarified.
There are still other versions of Neapolitan Mastiff standards being used in the USA. In 1996, the UKC adopted an incorrectly translated and added to version of the 1989 Italian standard. Various Rare breed show organizers and clubs throughout the US use their versions of the standard. There are vociferous individuals clamoring for change in the approved USNMC standard because they want to be recognized. Likewise in Italy at present, there are several groups who want to change their current standard.
With time and organization, research, and study, the current USNMC standard as approved by the AKC, ENCI, ATIMANA, and the USNMC membership may be changed, and those changes may become accepted by all four organizations. Until such time, I believe the standard will serve American Neo breeders, exhibitors, and judges well in their quest to properly assess individuals in the breed. If the Neapolitan Mastiff ever becomes recognized by the AKC, which is the only American kennel organization recognized by the rest of the world, then the USNMC standard of the breed should become ubiquitous in the USA. Alternatively, if it could or should happen that the FCI or ENCI would recognize the USNMC and the Neapolitan Mastiff in the States (because the AKC will not), then the USNMC would have the choice of using either the FCI, ENCI, or United States version of the standard. I believe that in having at present 2 standards to choose from, either the US version or the Italian-FCI version, which both mean the same with different wording, the USNMC is in a win-win situation as far as how to respond to future developments. This is my opinion.
The USNMC & AKC Approved Standard of the Neapolitan Mastiff
Italian and FCI Standards |
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