poodles can herd but they are water dogs they brought in the fishing nets and such that drifted off, that is why they have the weird cuts(not the puffs with bald one) they had shorter hair where their were no vital organs but the big puffs are all covering vital organs(the rosets covering kidneys etc..) it was to keep then cool and warm at the same, time, I know they CAN herd though, they are just about as verstitile as the border collie if not as versitile at least that is what I am told by several poodle breeders