I think you need to make the choice now. No two ways about it. I recently dealt with something a little similar at my Taekwon-do club where I delayed saying anything until I was about to start T. I had a lot on the line. Taekwon-do is my escape and passion. Not having that in my life during what is one of the hardest periods of my life was a huge fear for me. My family are in Scotland and not accepting of me. I'm in Canada and essentially alone. The idea of coming out there was more terrifying to me than coming out to my parents! I go there 2-3 times a week and I help teach one of the younger classes. It's a big deal for me and my emotional well being. It's literally what makes me happy. My parents; I see them at Xmas...sometimes. In the last 3 years I've spent a week and a half with them. I already know I can survive without them fine.
So coming out there was scary, there was more to lose for me on a personal level. So one Saturday I stayed after class and bit the bullet. Since then my only regret was not saying anything earlier. My instructor embraced it and explicitly stated that I was going nowhere. If others had a problem with it, they could leave. And not one person has had a problem with it, even the parents of the kids I teach, those that figured it out at least. Others are either oblivious or just don't really care. My own class has been extremely accepting, and it's not kids, the adult class has folk from 14-60+! Sometimes you get lucky! It's much better to bite the bullet and find out than live a lie.
Also, in terms of training a dog, it's going to make you a crap trainer to your dog if you're not being yourself. If you act one way at home and a different way at the club it will confuse her. You want your attention to be solely on the dog and not what people are thinking about you. And of course, on T your voice will change over the next few months to years, and facial hair will grow and it's going to be obvious. You can't hide it. That's why I had to come out at Taekwon-do, my voice is already changing and I have dark chin hair and whiskers already. Nothing I'd show off but it's still noticeable that I've shaved there. In places where the hair is darker, I have a stubble by 5ish onwards and my classes are after work, I couldn't shave before class!
I say it's best to come out. I'm not sure waiting would work, there's bound to be folks that recognise you. If they're not accepting, they're not accepting and you find a way to deal with it. Your dog does not need to do that stuff, it's just an ideal. You can teach dogs other tricks and little things around the house that give them what they need. Lots of folks own extremely energetic dogs and they're not at the park every day for hours. They can teach them to do little jobs around the house that keep them happy as Larry. Back home I had a Jack Russell/Spaniel mix but there wasn't the time to spend hours in the park every day, so we just started teaching him new tricks all the time. A lot of fetch things, like when we get in the door and take our shoes off, he'd run to where we kept slippers and bring them to us and then take our shoes and put them away. And he absolutely loved having a job to do. Dogs are very simple animals. They're very easily pleased
.
