Sounds like it could be a great opportunity for both you and the dog! Wishing you best of luck and many happy years together!
Big fan of the Aussie (and rooting for you both!). I just got a mini aussie/american shepherd puppy a couple months ago. He is an absolute joy, and while he is high energy, he knows when to calm down and just chill. Heās also only 7 months, so weāre in the crazy times. Heās absolutely stone cold reliable off leash and learns super quickly.
Side note - my two older dogs are herding dogs, so Iām squarely in that camp. One is a border collie/corgi who is, hands down, the best dog I have ever met. Smart as whip, will 100% nap all day long, and would rather die than do anything I donāt approve of. Downside: 2 TPLO surgeries when he was 4 & 5 and that undercoat. Holy moly, the hair. Super big fan of the light undercoat on the new puppy!
I donāt know if the ACLs are weak in either breed (corgi or BC), but he seemed to be destined to have them done from puppydom. He also has a weird twisted pelvis (I suspect he was hit by a car before I had him) and runs a bit sideways, but at 13 is still keeping up with the new puppy.
I do know people are now breeding designer āborgis,ā but I suspect that they are by and large much more active than mine is.
Best of luck! Canāt wait to see what you end up with!
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There does seem to be a pretty big rift between fans of Aussies and Mini Shepherdsā¦let alone the Toy Aussie breeders. I hope to visit a top breeder with a small/sweet young adult that @Khemosabe recommended. Not sure if theyāre idea of a mild drive dog is the same as mine 
I met a Toy Aussie breeder years ago at an overnight trail ride in Indiana. She had a handsome, high strung blue merle and a SUPER laid back red female with her. I wish I remembered the name of her kennel. I do like the āstone cold reliable off-leashā part!
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A bastardization of the breed according to purist JRT folksā¦ I wouldnāt call myself a purist, but Iām not a fan of them. I do love good JRTs though.
I havenāt been a fan of the mini aussies that I have been around. I do have a friend that has a few mini blue heelers and those guys are fun. I know the full-sized ones can be a handful, but her minis are super sweet. Iām not sure if the breeder bred for the milder temperament or if my friend just lucked out, but my bf is thinking about getting a pup from the same breeder if their adults have the same laidback attitude. We are supposed to go visit the kennel in the next few months to check them out.
I will say that I got my mini aussie/american shepherd from a friend who breeds about a litter a year and sells them to only her friends (sheās well-connected in the horse world). Theyāre more out of working lines, but her dogs have become more and more house dogs as the years have gone on. So, perhaps, you could call mine a designer mutt, but heās pretty true to the aussie personality. And heās alive simply to please us, it seems. While he is pretty active, heās pretty good at entertaining himself and not in destructive ways - so thatās a plus when weāre feeling lazy. This is, of course, a sample size of one dog.
I think you would be able to find a breeder that could work with you on finding the right fit for a more mild tempered dog like youāve mentioned. I suspect that youāll see a wide array of temperaments with mini/toy aussies, or really any breed in general, depending on what the breeder was focused on (color, working, companionship, etc).
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Another thought- I had a judge friend who had always had greyhounds and borzoi and moved to a condo where the dog had to be a certain size- they asked all their judge and handler friends for recommendations, and the breed most suggested was the Havanese, kept in a puppy cut. Smart, loyal, sweet, not too barky, biddable. Another suggestion is a Lowchen in a puppy cut. If you remember the old TV series āHart and HartāĀ, they had a little dog in a pet clip named Freeway- never identified as a Lowchen but thatās what he was. I know a couple of Lowchen who are super performance dogs in tracking, Obedience, and Agility. May be a little more active than the Havanese though.
Both breeds are 15 pounds or so, so definitely not toys, and you can usually find pet quality ones a little bigger if you prefer. Both breeds come in a variety of pretty colors and color combos. If you have never touched or petted a Havanese, they feel wonderful under your hand, the coat is really soft and silky. Bono at Westminster is a Havanese.
I donāt know why anyone would want to minimize an Aussie. I got my first one in 1967 when he moved from California to Savannah and left the idiots to move next door with my horse and my fatherās Llewelyn setter. I bought a Las Rocosa bitch and never changed from those great dogs. Some lived in apartments in big cities and some lived in subdivisions in big cities and some lived on a bluff on 2 acres of camellias on the east coast sound between Ossabaw and Wassaw All aussies and the dogs I adopted off the highways of GA were great. Medium sized dogs are great.
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Yes Iām sure they are great for those who appreciate their qualities. That is why there are 200 plus breeds!
Many people would never own a sighthound, and thatās OK and I completely understand that. Definitely not suggesting OP consider a sighthound!!! Just saying, different strokes!
OP had a Shiba she really liked, and thatās in general a long way from an Aussie in many ways.
Im sure yours were all great dogs and there is much to be said for being medium sized, but OP wants 20 pounds and has other criteria which may not completely overlap with most Aussies.
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I believe a good dog is a good dog, regardless. We can all have our opinions. I bred Jack Russels for years using a bitch we imported from the Portman Hunt in Dorset. Every one of my pups was well tempered, lively, loyal, easy. I could call them off a rabbit if neeeded. Years after our last bitch was not breeding fit, I had people asking if I had any puppies
and they stood out as true to type. I could recognize my line all the time around here. I hate the expression āback yard breederā which is what mine were, but I was proud of them.
Also, most dogs with problems are usually bored and under-exercised.
A friend of mine has a Havernese - the first one Iāve met - and she is a lovely dog. I also like the English or German hunting dogs, Cavalier spaniels whose tais never stop wagging. Currently have a Boxer who has two doggie degrees
- so many lovey dogs, you just have to pick one tht uulls your hertstringsā¦Iāve loved all mine of different breeds, sizes and types. My English Bull Terriers were two of the best, but not sure for the OP.
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Thank you for the happy update. Congratulations! Best choice you could have made that wasnāt a tri-color Corgi 
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Blue Ribbon !!!
Thrilled for you and your new partner ~ sheās lovely !!!
Enjoy ~ especially nice to bond with a new friend during this difficult time period.
WOW ~ worked out better than imagined !
Aussies are Awesome !!!
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She is super cute! I hope she fits right in
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Adorable dog!
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Yay! Thatās so exciting!
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Just thrilled you got a Soundtrack Aussie!
Lusoloveās new dog is a full sister to my blue girl, Wookie (the ultimate chicken wrangler) and a great snuggler
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