About Delta K9 Training Services Inc.

Delta K9 Training Services is a course-based training practice run by Michael Figueroa, and its published program is the most structured of any trainer in Sullivan County.

The obedience ladder

Three named courses run one session a week, each 60 to 90 minutes. Beginner Obedience covers the five basic cues — sit, stay, come, down, heel — along with engagement, focus under distraction and self-control. Intermediate Obedience adds off-leash handling, platform or place work for duration and boundaries, and refined leash handling for the owner. Advanced Obedience pushes reliability under heavy distraction and introduces scent work for article search. Each course is described in two halves, what the dog will learn and what the handler will learn, which is a fair summary of how the practice frames itself: the owner is being trained as much as the dog.

Tracking

Beyond obedience there is a tracking track with its own prerequisites, running to a six-week Urban & Night Tracking course for teams that have completed the earlier imprinting and tracking work. It covers scent trails in built-up settings, distraction from vehicles, foot traffic and wildlife, tracking across concrete and asphalt, and work in low light. Aged tracks with a hide are part of the published curriculum. This is closer to working-dog instruction than to pet obedience, and it is the only such program in the county.

Behavior cases

The site is explicit that the obedience courses are not the right entry point for a dog showing aggression, reactivity or anxiety. Owners in that position are asked to book an assessment and evaluation first, from which a customized plan is written. Dogs with behavioral concerns must also be assessed before joining the tracking courses.

Who runs it

Michael Figueroa's background is as a law enforcement canine handler, with certification in tracking, evidence search, cadaver detection and obedience. He writes about that work as the source of his approach rather than as a selling point, and the training philosophy he publishes is consistency, repetition and positive reinforcement. Personalized coaching, written homework after each session and follow-up calls between sessions are part of every program.

Locations

The business is associated with two addresses — one at Wurtsboro in Sullivan County, one at Sparrow Bush in Orange County — on the same phone number and the same website. Ask which location sessions take place at.