> Going out further on a limb I would speculate that the men showing dogs are not displaying poodles or shih tzus but rather dogs that were traditionally tracke

> Going out further on a limb I would speculate that the men showing dogs are not displaying poodles or shih tzus but rather dogs that were traditionally trackers and hunters like shepherds and pit bulls. That is out on a limb because: - poodles were traditionally used for hunting ducks - this is sort of a case in point where people often don't know (or need to know) the history of dog breeds, so their traditional uses per se are often irrelevant. However, I think people's understanding of modern breed-specific associations (e.g. a belief that pit bulls are prone to attack, use of german shepherds by police and search-and-rescue) are perhaps enough to explain how people would use them in social posturing.