Male Merle puppy, Sire is CH Harley, Dame is Magic Kat, ( Miley ) out of Ch Magic

Red Merle male

Miniature Australian Shepherds are eager to work, which makes training and interacting with them a pleasure, but their intelligence and drive require obedience training and plenty of interesting activity. Because they are herding dogs, they make good guard dogs and excellent companion dogs for those who provide an adequate outlet for the mini Aussie physical and mental energy.

History

The history of the miniature Australian Shepherd is the same as that of the Australian Shepherd until approximately the 1960s. Thereafter, fanciers formed member clubs and registries to promote the smaller dogs in particular. While there were at one point in the past a few enthusiasts who wanted to pursue recognition as a separate breed, the fancy as a whole and the clubs that focus on the smaller sized aussies consider the dogs merely a size variety of the Australian Shepherd.

Miniature Australian Shepherds can be registered with the National Stock Dog Registry (NSDR), MASCA, NAMASCUSA and a variety of other registries.

This information is from the 2006 Wikipedia.