Luciano is a pure bred miniature French Poodle.  He is good with people and other dogs, but a bit scared of both at first.

 

He has a rather interesting story. This dog was bought on the side of the road by a volunteer. The people who purchased him got evicted and were selling him, complete with papers, on the side of the road to make money.   All his papers are from the Columbia because he was bred over there and then imported into the US.

 

He's only 7 months old and is looking for his forever home.

 

Foster Update 02/16/10: We made progress with potty training today. After he ate his dinner he came over the the sliding glass door and stood there. I asked him if he had to go potty and he pawed at the door. Then about 15-20 min later he wanted to go out again. Of course he didn't do anything but he is starting to get the idea. I'm so proud of him.

 

According to dogbreedinfo.com, the Miniature Poodle is an intelligent, joyful, companion dog. They can be trained to a high degree, and are very willing and happy to please their handler. Comical and clever, they are often used as a circus dog. The more intelligent a dog is the more they need their minds occupied. This breed cannot live outside in a kennel. They need to be part of the family. They can be high-strung if not given the proper type and amount of exercise. Do not allow this dog to develop Small Dog Syndrome, where the dog is led to believe they are alpha over humans. It can cause them to become sensitive and nervous, and not very trustworthy with children and possibly strangers, along with many other behavior issues. Socialize them well. This is a very good watchdog for its size, seldom becoming aggressive. They may start to bark a lot without proper, rules to follow and limits to what they are allowed to do. Poodles are friendly with other dogs and non-canine pets. Be sure you are this dogs firm, to avoid any unwanted behavior problems.