No joke, black bears are very much like really big dogs.
They generally want NO smoke with humans whatsoever. Obviously you keep a respectful distance between y'all, but a black bear encounter isn't the worst thing in the world. Now if you corner one or get between a mother and her cubs, well good luck
And they generally react to stern commands and body language like a dog would (as you can see in the video above - bears are part of the canine family, afterall).
Keep in mind, this only applies to black bears. Unless you know what you're doing, stay the fukk outta kodiak and polar bear country.