Maltese x Chihuahua

Question
I have a 2 yr old maltese chihuahua, and he is becoming snappish when he is in trouble, he is desexed and when i go to give him a light smack so he knows that he is being naughty he goes to bite me. How do i stop him as now im not able to pick him up if iv yelled at him without him going to bite me.

Answer
Avoid hitting him.  it only leads to problems.  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