Even though you may love your puppy or dog more than you ever thought possible and think of her as one of your “children,” it's important to remember that a dog is not a person. Their genetic makeup dictates that they respond to things differently — after all, you wouldn't get to know your neighbors by sniffing around their toilets. But for a dog, the scents that are released from other dogs are key communicators about how they interact. This is one example of how dogs differ from humans. However, dogs are responsive to human signals and you can train them to behave in ways that are acceptable.