Dog Trainer or Behaviorist?
Not all obedience courses are the same. There are obedience classes intended to train dogs to compete in sports such as Flyball and there are courses designed to prove a dog's genetic prowess such as Schtzhund. These courses shape dogs to compete for points. These courses are not necessarily designed to address your dog's behavior outside of competition. For instance, a dog that is obedience trained in flyball competition may be encouraged to jump. For a family that owns a dog with a jumping problem this training will not be suitable.
Many times these training approaches do not address the complex social interactions that take place within a dog's family. Many other programs are centered on mechanical commands. Mechanistic "training" programs tend to focus on what the dog is doing rather than why the dog is doing something. The trainer simply conditions the dog to do a repetitive task such as sit. Rarely is there an explanation of why they are teaching the dog to sit. This "what" approach can be very effective when teaching a dog tricks, however this alone does not constitute a behavior modification program. A trainer will address tricks like sit to test the dog's willingness to complete a task and to teach the owner proper communication and problem solving techniques.
Often times this training falls short and does not explore more nuanced and complex interactions with the dog. In modern times this old mechanistic approach has given way to a new paradigm in behavior modification techniques. This new philosophy in canine behavior modification is fundamentally rooted in child psychology. It is now known that dogs are closer models of child development. The psychological development of a dog and a human child are almost identical.