Tiny pooch lets out a snarl when someone tries to take her yoghurt 

This is the moment a snappy little dog made it very clear that no one was taking away her favourite food.

Pino, a cute Pekinese and Chihuahua cross, started to snarl as a hand reached towards the pot of yoghurt she was clutching in comic footage shot by her owner Hikaru Tanaka, in Tokyo.

As the fingers got nearer the snack the three-year-old dog started to bare its teeth before suddenly lunging forward to try to bite the hand.

Pino then covered the small tub with her body protectively in the entertaining footage.

The video, posted to TikTok by @piiinostagram.tktk - a page created for Pino, has had more than 4.8 million views.

And it turns out that Pino had actually stolen the yoghurt from her owner.

The caption on the clip, filmed on November 19, reads: 'Pino always robs the owner's meal.'

Viewers on YouTube, where it the clip has been viewed more than 93,000 times, have remarked on Pino's deceptively adorable appearance.

One user said: 'This white furby is furiously enraged.'

Jemica Bond added: 'He like "you bring that crusty finger over here Imma bite it off!"'

'Don’t get it wet or feed it after midnight,' another commenter said, referring to the 1980s hit movie Gremlins, in which adorable fluffy Mogwais are transformed into havoc-wreaking monsters.

A comment from Todd Hemsel added: 'Omg he’s a literal gremlin lol.'

And this isn't the first time Pino has staked her claim on a snack.

Photos and videos of the territorial dog on social media often show her protectively laying her head down on a box of pretzels, a portion of sushi and other snacks as she warily eyes any wandering hands.

Pino has more than 14,000 followers on Instagram where her owner also posts clips of her playing, most recently of her enjoying the winter weather in festive gear.

The dog, who also has a range of merchandise, even made a brief feature on Japanese national TV in a cute pets segment on December 23.