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A properly trained dog - whatever the breed - will always follow the "alpha" - hopefully YOU

What if the alpha is gone? My parents have a lab with ATTITUDE. She knows my dad is the alpha and wouldn't dare go against him, but last week, I was over and he wasn't home (Mom was). The big brat got it into her head to bare her teeth at me. I put her in her place. The next time she came over, she was still baring her teeth but crouched on the ground. I put her in her place, again. She finally behaved herself, but still... If the alpha's not around, then what?

You did the right thing. The alpha is the alpha of the minute. The faster that is established (if necessary) the more likely the success

Alpha means... current alpha, not necessarily original alpha. Dogs are happier once that is all sorted out. They are much happier when they know the order.

It was the deal they made with humans when they decided to not be wild any more; "I'll be part of the pack, but there needs to be a clear alpha...oh, and food".

Unspoken but clear deal between our species from way back when.

What specifically do you mean by "put her in her place"?

We can and should all be "alpha" to all dogs we associate with - it requires:

Proper body posture and language (ours)
Proper correction - with mirth vs anger
Consistance
Knowing how and reading the dogs body language - the link I posted gives graphic examples.

Hmm, the alpha in our house is the shepherd/huskie female. One night some months back, a woman marched right into the house around one am.(The mother of one of my granddaughter's friends, looking for her daughter, who wasn't here.) I don't lock the front door because I don't know where the damn key is. So all of a sudden there's all out barking, I leap out of bed and rush to the front stairs and see this strange woman who wants to know where her daughter is. Meanwhile, the minidachshunds are gathered at my feet, barking. The pitbull/lab is by my side just watching, and the shepherd/huskie slips out the door and takes off for a few hours. The woman left, and I drove around looking for the shepherd, who, of course, was on the front doorstep waiting to be let in when I returned, furious. My granddaughter was driving...new driver...big mistake. She got out without putting the car in neutral or turning off the engine, and it almost ended up in the backyard. I never want to go through that again. Might even look for the key to the front door one of these days.