I feed this dog, brush her, trim her toenails, and scold her when she gets in the garbage. I am clearly an Alpha.
Recently, I was walking the dog and came up on another lady walking her dog. When my mom is holding the leash, our dog is very submissive and playful and wants to lick the other dog's faces and rolls on her back. When this happy, tail wagging dog approached me, our dog growled, the hair rose on her back, and the dog lunged at the other dog.
She behaves the same way when my 4 year old nephew is approached by strange dogs.
Another time, we were riding in our boat. The dog had no problem with the other adults being pulled behind the boats on toys, but when it was my turn she was a nervous wreck and had to be held back from jumping in to save me.
But my mom does that stuff and the dog doesn't act that way with her! That's what makes it so bizarre! It's not just a "protect my people" thing, it's a "protect the children" thing. Me and the four year old are the same in her eyes.
