My take on things: Which group the Standard, or and size Poodle is in, is up to the Poodle Club of America, not the AKC. Grouping is used mostly for conformation. My guess is that the PCA thinks the Poodle has an advantage in the Non-sporting group. Perhaps the clips, or gooming methods(hairspray and color) would be penalized in the Sporting group? Not that I agree with that, I think the Standard Poodle belongs in the Sporting Group.