Giffy dog

Giffy dog offers a variety of group classes designed to enrich dogs’ lives and challenge them in an engaging and safe learning environment. Classes that meet multiple times are limited to 6 students for personalized attention and are 45 minutes long. Students are encouraged to arrive up to 15 minutes early for settling in and enrichment, with 15 minutes after class for questions.

The ‘New Beginnings Class: Bonding and Confidence-Building’ is an open enrollment course for new companions and timid dogs, focusing on relationship building, calm interaction, confidence, and introductory training. It runs for four or six 45-minute weekly sessions.

‘Clicker Training Classes’ include ‘Foundations,’ a 6-week introductory course based on the Karen Pryor curriculum, teaching effective communication and basic obedience skills like recall, loose leash walking, and settling. ‘Advanced Clicker Training’ is a 6-week course for more complex challenges, tailored to student goals, covering topics like fluency, compound cues, and cooperative care.

The ‘Out & About Class’ is for dogs easily distracted in public, teaching leash skills and confident partnership in distracting environments. It’s offered upon request for four or six 45-minute weekly sessions.

‘Short and Sweet Classes’ are one-time, focused topics. ‘Socialization’ helps dogs stay focused and calm around others, teaching about dog interactions and behavior redirection. ‘Shy-dog Social Hour’ is an informal drop-in session for hesitant dogs to socialize with people and dogs, including confidence-building activities. Both are 1.5-hour sessions offered upon request.

Pricing Summary

Tuition for multi-session classes ranges from $140 for 4 weeks to $180 for 6 weeks. Single 1.5-hour sessions are priced at $50 or $60.

Giffy dog (pronounced ‘Jiffy’) offers compassionate, engaging, and effective dog training. They provide a variety of classes designed to enrich dogs’ lives and challenge them while maintaining an engaging and safe learning environment. Their classes that meet multiple times are limited to 6 students, among the smallest in the Twin Cities, to offer personalized attention.

The owner, Cheryl Gfrerer, has extensive experience working with dogs since 2000, having fostered over 250 rescue dogs by 2012. This includes dogs with behavioral challenges, puppy mill or hoarding backgrounds, and issues like housetraining or unpredictable leash behavior. This unique opportunity to live with and learn from hundreds of dogs has profoundly shaped her training approach.

Giffy dog encourages open communication and is happy to discuss client needs, methods, and philosophy to ensure clients are confident in their choice of trainer.

Accomplishments

Cheryl Gfrerer, the owner of Giffy dog, has been working with dogs extensively since 2000, initially by fostering rescue dogs. She has fostered over 250 dogs by 2012, including those with behavioral challenges, from puppy mills, or with housetraining issues. This extensive hands-on experience living with and learning from hundreds of dogs has profoundly shaped her training approach. She holds a KPA-CTP certification and an MA.

How to Get Started!

To learn more or register for classes, interested individuals can click the ‘Inquire or Register’ links provided for each class or email suggestions to giffydog@gmail.com. They also encourage contacting them with questions to discuss needs, methods, and philosophy.