The Neapolitan Mastiff derives from the traditional "Catch dog" and guard dogs of central Italy (but the distant origin is the "canis pugnax" of the Roman legions).Selection of the breed was begun in 1947 by Piero Scanziani, who had seen one at an exhibition in Naples in 1946. He drew up the first "breed standard" for the race, which in 1949 was officially recognised by the "Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana". It received full acceptance from the "Fédération Cynologique Internationale" in 1956.