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the answer to this question is not a simple one, first it depends on your definition of "alpha". The term alpha comes from the study of wolves, the old thought that wolves were conflictual animals that fought for dominance, this is not only untrue for dogs, but wolves as well. What we previously thought of as the "alphas" were actually just the parents of a close knit family of wolves. All that said, dogs do look for guidance and leadership in a lot of situations, your life will be easier if they're looking for this guidance from you, dogs tend to magnate to people that make good decisions, are calm and collected and can teach and handle situations WITHOUT conflict.

No. The notion that your dog needs to walk behind you and you must be in front to be the leader is completely false and man made, dogs don't care about being at the front, groups of dogs left off lead will be constantly changing the dog in front and it has no bearing on their social status, that said, there is no reason that we cant teach a dog to walk next to or behind you for a period or through doorways if that is what you want, you can teach a dog to do all sorts of things that are nothing to do with dominance.

Genetics can have huge effect on your dogs behaviour, from how they play, respond to their environment and aptitude in training, even a lot of what are considered behavioural issues can be accredited to your dogs genetics,  but breed isn't everything. Breed traits exist, but just because you have a Labrador that doesn't mean they'll like retrieving, there are always exceptions to the rule. You can see huge differences in behaviour within breeds, depending on linage, early conditioning as a puppy, even before you can take them home.