Chihuahua Biting

Question
I have a friend with a 2 year old Chihuahua that snaps alot, bites alot and growls alot when anybody other than himself or his wife come near. they are going to have a baby and I have repeatedly cautioned him on his dogs behaviour. The dog is possesive and will not let anyone touch her other than my friend and his wife. Is it worth for him to try and train the dog not to bite the baby. I think it's useless. I think because of the dogs behaviour the baby will get biten.

Answer
It is tough to retrain a dog that has been allowed to get away with bad behavior for 2 years.  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