Well, from what I've seen and heard amongst various sources, my Bichon puppy should have had her first season at approximately 6 months. She is just over 11 months and hasn't yet had her first season.
My question is, should I be worried?
For reference, we don't plan on breeding her, we were planning on having her spayed after her first season (that's what seems to be recommended).
According to Understanding the Heat Cycle of Female Dogs, By Kelly Roper , there doesn't seem to be a hard fast rule as I'd been previously told (even by a Vet!!).
There is a loosely based guideline though:
While it is not a hard rule, most females come into their first heat cycle around six months of age, although some females wait as long 12 to 18 months old. Very large breed females may begin cycling as late as 24 months old.