Hi again. I have a 4 month old jack russell cross chihuaha puppy, fully vaccinated.

My concern is every few days she seems to be unwell in the morning. She gags and is sick once or twice into her mouth, then swallows it. She doesn't eat any breakfast and her tummy makes a lot of hunger noises. She doesn't get diarrhea but she defacates a bit more than usual and it is softer than normal. She just wants to sleep.

Why is this happening?
Here is some info... She is fed half canned wet food, half dry food, both the pedigree brand for puppies.
She eats grass in my parents garden -sometimes.
She is NOT fed any human food, but she does eat crumbs off the floor accidentally dropped by us.
She occasionally eats something off the sidewalk when we are out walking, I try to keep a look in front for any food scraps ahead to avoid, but as I'm sure you know, you can't see everything.

Any advice? It upsets me to see her suffering, I can tell she doesn't feel herself on these mornings. - I don't want to have to take her to the vet. She seems fine after she's slept it off so it doesn't seem too serious.

May be a virus. If she is still acting strange in the next couple of days, you might want to take her to the vet.

Actually I am going to type up something for you may take me a minute but I will start right now

Vomiting and regurgitation most people do not realize that there is a difference between these two actions. Vomiting is an active process. There is gagging, heaving, and retching as the body actively expels stomach contents. Regurgitation is passive. For whatever reason, food is swallowed from the mouth but never really goes anywhere beyond that point. Food sits in the esophagus until it simply falls back out the mouth at some point. In the dog, megaesophagus is the most common cause of regurgitation.The esophagus is the tube connecting the throat to the stomach. When food is perceived in the esophagus, neurologic reflex causing muscle contraction and relaxation lead to rapid transport of the food into the stomach, like an elevator going down. Other reflexes prevent breathing during this swallowing process to protect the lungs from aspiration. When these reflexes are interrupted such as by disease in the esophageal tissue or nerve disease, the esophagus loses its ability to transport food. Instead the esophagus loses all tone and dilates. Also, the reflex protecting the lung is disrupted and aspiration pneumonia commonly follows. If any of this seems to fit I can describe more, but please contact your vet for follow up care. Good Luck

Thank you for that, it sounds serious, and I don't believe it is that. It doesn't happen every time she eats, or every day, its every few days- I will keep a record of when its happening from now on to see.

I feed her 3 times a day.

After thinking about this, I've come to the conclusion it is a mental thing being shown in a physical way.

You see she started doing this after I stopped letting her sleep in my bed, and made her sleep alone in the living room. She is okay with it mostly, but every few nights she gets upset by it, and barks or cries for a while before going to sleep. The next morning is when I think she has an upset stomach.

So its likely this is the cause do you think? Stress and upset -seperation anxiety.

Im not sure what to do to help her because I like having my bed to myself, and I exercise in my bedroom at night too, and if she was in there she would be in the way. Advice please?

Can I suggest free feeding for a week to see if the condition changes?

Change the food pattern let her nibble for a week at will, I am courious if it is mental or metabal

The reason I mentions megaesophagus its very over looked. How ever Jack Russels are very mental , and personaly had me chasing the wots wrong game MANY times only to be a dog a few fries short of a happy meal. Go figger. I like to be safe than sorry. And for the record, that gagging you have seen is no more pain then him sleeping alone, lol he will be fine!

Making too many changes at once can make it harder to understand what is happening. As DocWill points out it could be physical or behavioral. Even if there is a physical problem too, I think you may need to change your relationship with your dog.

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 Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position Who sleeps where is a very important thing to dogs. He needs to understand you have the right to keep the best place to yourself.

Thanks guys :)

She's only been sleeping by herself around a week now I think, so Im guessing it will just take time for her to get used to it. A whole night does seem a lot of hours for her to be alone, so its understandable. But I want my bed to stay mine! Lol

I will check out some books on being the alpha of the family. I make sure she doesn't eat her food until I say she can - every time. And I get her to lay on her back with her stomach facing me -several times a day, which is the submissive position I've been told, and she's happy to do that.

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

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Originally Posted by puppylove21

I will check out some books on being the alpha of the family. I make sure she doesnt eat her food until I say she can - every time. And I get her to lay on her back with her stomach facing me -several times a day, which is the submissive position I've been told, and she's happy to do that.

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When it comes to training, rather than trying to look at some books or the internet, it's really more preferential to try and get involved in an obedience class. It doesn't have to be anything fancy like competition obedience, just pet dog training. I'm sure the local RSPCA could give you some names if they don't have their own puppy classes. Visit one or two classes and see if you would feel comfortable there before you sign up.

Don't go too overboard on the 'Alpha' stuff. For most dogs, just doing everyday obedience should be more than enough. The handling exercises that labman talked about are a really good idea. I think all puppy classes should have some sort of variant of it. Just remember, you want to be more cooperative with your puppy than confrontational. The less confrontational, the better.