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  4E assumes that werewolves(etc) are a species unto themselves, rather than a curse/disease that ordinary people can contract; someone else getting bitten results in a non-transformative disease like filth fever or moon frenzy. 3E has a mix of curse/disease and 'natural' lycanthropy that is layered onto an existing creature type.

  Both 3E and 4E have positioned shifters as the "lycanthrope-blooded" humanoid; the result of interbreeding between lycanthropes and (usually) humans. Trying to create weird hybrids with other types of monsters is liable to result in more problems than benefits though, especially with the substantial psychological changes that come along with the physical ones.

  Thus, the answer might vary a bit depending on which edition you're using. If you're working with a specific setting (Nentir Vale, Forgotten Realms, Eberron, etc) then it might also change the situation since each of those puts its own lore-spin on lycanthropy. On the whole, though, Mr. Minotaur Lord is probably best off recruiting existing lycanthropes than trying to create a hybrid/infected army.

  As for the specific appearance: the canonical 4E ones generally have a human form, but there are some exceptions; their abilities won't be any different regardless of what their humanoid form looks like. The 3E ones vary in terms of base species, although IIRC they still need to be 'humanoid' or 'giant' class creatures. In its case the base creature type does have an impact on the creature's abilities.

  I'm not sure how happy they'd be (in either edition) to be asked to sit around in a maze all day, though...

Okay, in 3E (assuming no setting-specific differences - Eberron in particular could mess this up) lycanthropy essentially comes in two forms: natural and afflicted.

  Natural lycanthropes are in full control of themselves and their powers, since they're born as such. They're also the only ones who can normally infect someone else with the condition - afflicted lycanthropes can't infect others - so Mr. Minotaur would need to recruit some of these guys to get started. Of course, they usually have their own interests and agendas, and those don't normally involve being someone's guard dogs. Evil ones are also notoriously unreliable as allies.

  Afflicted ones present a different problem: they don't have full control (and most don't have any control) over their shapeshifting or their actions while changed. They could be useful as a kamikaze/suicide squad of sorts, but they'll be as dangerous to the rest of the minotaur's forces as his enemies would if he tries to make a regular unit out of them.

  Now, a group of natural lycanthropes who happen to be bugbears and thus part of the bugbear tribe is a possibility, especially if it's something more along the lines of being the gift of a clan totem (similar to the Gray Wolves of the Uthgardt tribes in the FR setting), and would give them a solid reason to work alongside their 'ordinary' fellows.

  In this case they probably wouldn't be able to infect anyone else (again, similar to the Gray Wolf Uthgardt), and even if it were possible it'd be a bad idea to try that in an organized fashion for the reasons noted above. On the other hand, the totem's "gift" could be sought by non-werewolf members of the bugbear tribe, thereby turning them into "natural" werewolves... if they're willing to face the unpleasantly high attrition rate involved in whatever trial/initiation is required.

There are a few halfling were-creatures in FR canon.  One is mentioned as the leader of the dead rats guild in Luskan, and IIRC there are some more were-halflings in module Sceptre Tower of Spellgard as well.  If there are halflings, I'd think other races were on the table as well.