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easily understand the breed standard, which may otherwise seem somewhat obscure. It will then be easier to interpret the standard and thus understand and evaluate this dog, whose long evolution has produced characteristics which may seen nonsensical, and which gave it a flavor of the fantastic and even the surreal. I make this observation on the grounds of my conviction that a breed standard cannot be satisfactorily interpreted through a straight evaluation based on purely standardized measurements of canine conformation. One cannot treat the assessment of a dog as one would a mathematical problem.
The study of the breed standard of the Mastino Napoletano should provide a means of appreciating in one who has been fortunate enough to uncover its complex and often contradictory personality. Measurements of a dog's body parts, while necessary, can never create a thorough description of a whole breed. One would run the risk of examining a dog as if it were nothing but a piece of machinery or an animated domestic appliance. Rather a breed commentary should help breeders, judges, and enthusiast to gain an overall picture of the breed by noting and explaining the individual characteristics, which can be defined as typical of the breed.

Dr. Mario Perricone captured the essence of the breed like no other...

"To fully understand the Mastino Napoletano, before even reading the breed standard, one needs to sit down calmly in front of him and patiently observe the rippling movements of its body while listening to its guttural rumbling. One must scrutinize the expressions created by the wrinkles and folds of the skin on its head; in order to notice the fasciculations which alternately intensify or soften the features of the mask designed on its face, or which ruffle the great coat which drapes his body. Only then can someone seek to understand the message it is trying to convey when it widens the thick eyelids to expose its eyes (like crevices in a mountain), revealing an expression of joy and intelligence. Only someone with passion and concern for the breed who can decode its body language, vocal and visual expressions, will be able to gain a true understanding of its personality, and thereby learn the secrets hiding behind its enigmatic expression which is both serious and smiling at the same time.
After becoming better acquainted with the Mastino Napoletano, one will more