A discussion of standard poodles sketches the breed's long working history. Poodles are described as flock guardians whose coats helped them blend among sheep, with examples also said to show them serving as Roman war dogs. That working lineage is contrasted with the much later kennel-club emphasis on purity of colour. This is a brief conversational aside rather than a documented book extract, so it should be treated as a pointer to the claim rather than a definitive breed history.
Notable Point · 2:29:18-2:30:16
Poodles as working and war dogs
A pet discussion sketches the poodle's older roles as a flock guardian and war dog before modern colour-focused breeding.