I’ve seen a lot of dog things over the years. Some stick in my memory and represent significant discoveries.
First, I participated in group classes with my first dog after I graduated from the University. The best trained dog in class was a male Schipperke. The owner? A young woman with Cerebral Palsy. Guess what? She did the best job of working with her dog each week and she was head of the class.
Second, I had a student years ago with a very pronounced stutter and a Miniature Schnauzer. Guess what? While each command was said with the typical involuntary sounds… the dog trained and performed flawlessly.
I could give you other examples.
Profound lessons for me:
I love dogs even more.
Things that might bother us about ourselves often don’t bother our dogs.
So long as commands are given and rewarded appropriately, dogs will learn to perform at a high level. You don’t have to walk around like a toy soldier, like many do, on the competition field. You don’t need to focus on that stylized work and neither does your dog.
If you observe and work with dogs enough, they will teach you a lot of wisdom.
Plan accordingly.