Westie mix

Question
I recently got Brutus.  He is suppose to be around 2.  His first owner was 85 and passed away.  My sister works at a vet clinic his family took him in there for them to adopt out.  He was there about 5 days.  Than my Mother had him until I could get to IL (I live in MO) to get him.  He does this snapping bark type thing.  A small woof  very small woof comes with the snapping of his jaw.  His he trying to tell me something I need to pay attention to.  He has several bad habits we are working correcting and he is doing great with them.  I am just concerned about the snapping

Answer
The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

Many people make the mistake of not taking small dogs seriously.  The dogs are allowed to turn into 4 legged Napoleons.  At 2 years old, it may take a while to exert your position.