Australian Shepherds in any size are usually very intelligent, easy to train, loyal, and sensitive dogs. They are also high energy dogs and it is in their nature to herd moving creatures. Because of the unique personality of this spectacularly agile pet, here are some things to keep in mind to be sure that a miniature Australian Shepherd is right for you:

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• They need lots of exercise, especially outdoors.  In addition, if you can find your dog a job to do every day, such as fetch the newspaper, or round up all the dog toys from the yard, or practice an agility course, your pup will be much happier and less likely to be destructive in the house or yard.

• Anything that hangs from above (lamp cord, tassles on purses or clothes, fringe on a blanket, kids' fingers, etc.) is a direct invitation to your Aussie to jump and bite. You can train your dog not to do this, but it takes a lot of patience because it is instinctual for them to nip at anything even remotely resembling a cow's tail.

• Most Aussies are very sensitive to your emotions so they do not need stern punishment or harsh reprimands.  They usually want to please you, so choosing a simple word or sound to show your disapproval will usually be enough.  With our female, we just make the sound of "ch" while pointing to or showing her the results of her mischievousness and she knows we aren't happy that she got in the trash or chewed up a shoelace. Be consistent and don't choose words frequently used in conversations with other humans such as "no" or "uh-oh" or "stop".