GSP Neurotic after Neuter

[Vikingoo168]

My 16 month old GSP was neutered almost 4 weeks ago and this past week he has become neurotic... Pacing back and forth and whining along with separation anxiety which he did not have before. He gets at least an hour of vigorous exercise such as running, fetching bumpers and playing with dogs at the dog park everyday along with a morning and a evening walk before bed. This amount of exercise was completely sufficient before he was neutered so why wouldn't it be after? He is driving me crazy! Please tell me this is just some type of hormone purge or give me some other ideas of what might be causing this behavior.

Thanks!!

[Tooling]

Don't think a neuter would cause this but who knows..it might make me edgy

You mention consistent exercise...just coming off hunting season, have you been actively hunting? Transition from a very active season can take a bit of an adjustment for the dog.

Outside of that the only thing I will suggest is to take a deep breath and don't let your own anxiety feed into the problem.

One thing that is really good for a shorthair is involvement in everyday chores...tell him to come along and help to do just about anything around the yard, interact w/him and tell him what a good helper he is while you stroke him up..I know it sounds silly but you would be surprised..these are very very purpose driven dogs and they thrive on this sort of attention.

[Sharon]

I don't believe the neuter is to blame. Dogs are always changing. A month can make a difference in needs and behaviour. Common expressions : "He never did that before. He's never been like that before. "

[Dirty Dawger]

I agree with Sharon. Do you know of, or have you seen the sire/dam? What are they like? Are they the product of something I have experienced first hand and was explained to me as "The GSP Whine". In my experience, these dogs seem to whine incessantly even if it's just a subtle whine:
- before they are run,
- after they are run,
- if you run another dog,
- before they are fed,
- when they travel,
...and the list goes on. It can drive you batty!! It is not restricted to GSPs but is becoming more and more prevalent in this breed.