Amber Mahoney grew up in a household filled mostly with cats, birds, and the occasional fish, but her earliest memories include a Newfoundland/Irish Setter mix named Augie. It wasn't until she adopted her first dog as an adult, however, that she discovered her real love of dogs and training. She now shares her home with two German Shepherds, and a cat who is gracious enough to put up with them.
Amber's passion for dogs has developed into a strong commitment to their humane training and treatment. She spent several years learning from an accomplished Portland trainer, and assisting with classes that taught people with various disabilities how to train their own dogs as assistance animals. She also trained her oldest dog for therapy work. Together they are a certified DoveLewis Animal Assisted Therapy Team. Amber is also a member of the Association of Pet Dog trainers.
About Our Training Methods
Arf Academy is committed to using positive, dog friendly methods to train your dog. It is our personal belief that physical pain of any kind should never be used to teach a dog new skills. For this reason, we use a reward based system for training. Dogs who are trained using food, play and praise as rewards become dogs who learn quickly and best of all, enjoy the process.