stops breathing when sleeping

Question
A couple times now, my 1 year old bichon frise appears to have stopped breathing while sleeping. His chest isn't' rising on occasion but if we poke him or move him he is fine. This morning i poked him he did nothing, i moved him he did nothing i started pushing him back ad forth and he looks up at me like *hello I'm sleeping here*. Is this normal or something we should be concerned about

Answer
Sounds like your dog has sleep apnea. This can be caused from a number of things and can even be fatal. You need to take him in for a thorough check up. He could have a brachio condition that's causing it that can be corrected through surgery. There are other things that can cause it as well, point being that getting a correct diagnosis right now is very important. If your vet can't help you have him send you to someone who can.
Good luck
Cindi