The highest academic degree that one can earn in the world is a doctorate, and not that anyone gives it much thought, but the concept of earning a doctorate is quite old. Doctorates originated in the ninth century schools of the Muslim world before spreading to European universities, and were originally awarded in the professions of law, medicine and theology. Details about the first Ph.D. awarded in Paris in 1150 are vague, but the first university that awarded a PhD as the highest level of academic honor in the form of a dissertation was Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. By this we mean that the degree was bestowed after a sequence of coursework was completed, and the student successfully defended their research by way of a dissertation.
We need very little to segue into the subject of dogs, so speaking of Berlin (see what we mean?), back in the day, the Giant Schnauzer was little known outside of Bavaria, but that changed when the breed was determined to be a good candidate for police training at schools in Berlin. The Giant became the dog of choice for police work and for search and rescue missions. Indeed, in both Canada and the U.S., Giants are used at airports for detection of illegal and or dangerous substances, but more so in Europe.
A strong instinct to protect makes the Giant a natural protection and guard dog, its original role in Bavaria where the breed was used to guard butcheries, factories, stockyards, and breweries. We’ve also heard from owners that Giant Schnauzers have an almost telepathic ability to sense their owner’s emotions, and an intuition about when protection is needed, whether it’s from bad guys, other animals, or………..ocean waves ??? Check out the video below:
As an aside, Giant Schnauzers are imposing dogs that can weigh up to 95 pounds and stand at 27.5 inches at the shoulder, but they are not a “giant breed.” They are simply the largest of the Schnauzers.
Be sure to read about the first Giant Schnauzer police dog in Canada here, and check out the Giant Schnauzer as a “special ops” dog below:
Image: Giant Schnauzer by Lonny Gusikowski is available as fine art, and in home decor and lifestyle items here