The poodle has been bred in at least three sizes, including Standard, Miniature, and Toy. According to the American Kennel Club, the Standard Poodle is the oldest of the three varieties,[13] and was later bred down to the miniature and toy sizes. Despite the Standard Poodle's claim to greater age than the other varieties, some evidence shows the smaller types developed only a short time after the breed assumed the general type by which it is recognized today. The smallest, or Toy variety, was developed in England in the 18th century. Hunting and working dogs were typically of the standard variety, though some reports suggest that smaller varieties such as the miniature may have been popular for truffle hunting, as their feet were less likely to damage the delicate fungi.[14] Miniature and Toy varieties tend to be bred primarily for companionship. In the mid to late 19th century, the trade in dyeing and affixing their fur to unusual proportions began with the need to compliment the Victorian and Georgian sensibilities of these women,[15] to the point that their status as a dog of the middle and upper classes was quite solid by the time of the founding of the Kennel Club in the 1870s as they were one of the first dog breeds registered.