I have a 2.5 year old bichon, don’t worry to much about the eating I think bichon maybe just slow eaters, I have to leave my fella bowl down all the time as he doesn’t and never has gulped is food in one sitting he is more inclined to eat at night time, I said it to the vet and he told me that some breeds of dogs are not fussed about food, he told me to try to leave the bowl down for 10 mins in the morning and 10 mins in the evening to teach him that this is the time to eat but it never worked with my dog, as he was eating nothing, so as I said I just leave the bowl down all day and he eats when he wants which seems to be little and often, this is good in away because I have noticed that because food is not a big thing with him, there is no food agression with other dogs, I am fostering Fargo at the moment a little pup and the two of them are happy to eat out of the one bowl. So really what I am saying his eating may not be a behavoural problem it may just be his breed.
