is this wrong?

Well, I'll explain from the beginning. My mother has a short temper. And she doesn't understand dogs. So when our chihuahua wouldn't listen, she was literally ready to hit him with a rolled up magazine. I have confronted her about this and how she cannot do this because she's only causing him to be more hostile. She's giving him totally wrong messages! Am I wrong? And when he bit her when he took a candy wrapper and she tried to take it back, she's been angry ever since. I personally think she is being ridiculous because it's a dog's nature to guard food a little bit even when it's food that wasn't given to him. She's ignored him ever since. She acts like he understands what she's saying, "Get away!" and ignoring him. Like he's human and if she ignores him long enough, he'll come over and "apologize" to her. What does she even take him for? I am annoyed by her actions because she just doesn't get it. She acknowledges his presence, yet how would he know he is being acknowledged when she doesn't even pet him or call him?
She says I'm just making up excuses for him and told me she still needed time to cool down on her anger. I'm more angry about what she said since she's making it like it's all about her and giving no consideration for my chihuahua. He bit her, yes, but she should've known better than to try and take something from him while he still has it. Everyone in the household knows you can't do that because he usually takes things when no one is looking, but he only plays with it until he's bored. But no one can approach him when he has it or else he'll run away or guard it.
So tell me; am I wrong or is my mother wrong on this?

Well, it sounds like your mom needs to learn more about dogs and how they think and learn. She has made your dog distrust her and possibly others by putting him on the defensive. Its never OK to hit an animal. It does a lot of psychological damage as they do not understand that. It isn't the way they learn. It is absolutely normal for dogs to guard their food or other objects if they haven't been conditioned to trust that people are OK around their stuff and its OK for people to take things. How else would they survive if they just let anyone take their food? Its normal for them to defend possessions but it isn't OK for them to defend them against humans. But they don't know that until they're taught. They don't automatically come knowing human rules and human ways of life in a house. They have to be taught. And hitting, intimidating or otherwise abusing a dog isn't the way to teach them. There are ways, but that isn't how.

Your Mom needs to realize that dogs are not people and do not think like people. They're animals....predators and they have instincts and drives that we do not have.

You should be able to take things from your dog and you can eventually if you condition him to it. Start out with something he likes....a toy, but not something he likes too terribly much. Go to him and show him a treat....a really tasty treat, much more valuable to him than the toy he is chewing on or playing with. Take the toy and give him the treat and happy, playful praise. Then give him back the toy. Repeat. Make it a game. I call it the give and take game. You can use the words, "give" and "take" as cues. Start attaching them so that when he gives, you say, "give." When he "takes" the thing from your hand, say "take." Always give him back the object after you take it for now. Make it very rewarding, pleasant, happy for him when you take something from him. Soon he'll get so he likes this game. Always give him a higher value reward (a tiny fresh piece of meat, hotdog tid bit, cheese) for giving you something and lots of fun. You can even start tossing the toy or ball and make a game of retrieve out of it. Encourage him to bring it to you. Start out by tossing it only a very short distance. "Give" (reward) and "take" (give him the ball back) After a while, just tossing the ball again (if he likes the retrieve game) will be reward enough. You can phase out the trading for treats later but not entirely. Sometimes give a treat in exchange. Sometimes just praise. He'll be giving you things willingly if you and everyone who interacts with him is consistant with this. Maybe you can exlain this to your Mom. Let us know how it goes. Don't let him have his way anymore about getting to keep something when you want it.

Start out with lower value toys or items and only when he is trusting and willing to give you those, do you increase the value of the objects, (bones or whatever). He needs to be set up to succeed and not go beyond that point until he has mastered that.

In addition, I'd start hand feeding him instead of using a bowl for a while. Have him do some little skills (sit, down, come, get off the furniture etc)for a few kibbles at a time. He needs to realize that humans are controlling his resources, that he needs to earn the stuff he likes, including toys and some of the attention and affection he gets.

The rolled up magazine is a very bad idea. I know someone who used to hit his dog with a rolled up newspaper. It didn't take the dog very long to associate newspapers with bad things, so now whenever a newspaper falls on the doormat the dog grabs it and tears it into a million pieces.

Paula