Alpha Dog Politics

I am the Alpha dog in our family "pack". Bella and Chief both know this. Bella really respects it. Actually, she is a bit of a suck up. If we were an office instead of family, Bella would be the annoying employee who always kisses up to the boss.  In order to protect her position in the pack - from Chief - she wants to be right next to me, even literally. She listens to me, wants to be close to me, and always wants the favorable physical position in front of Chief. It's her way of trying to show him that she has higher status in the pack than he does. But I've long said that Bella is a wannabe Alpha.  With a single growl or baring of teeth, Chief can stop her in her tracks, especially related to food.  If Bella truly had rank over Chief, he'd never do this, and most likely, she wouldn't feel the need to play pack politics with me.