Castration has been a disaster for my dog...

[Cavalierchaos]

Nearly 4 weeks ago, I had my 20 month old small breed dog castrated. I was very unsure about it because my dog has always displayed some behaviours that I was worried were anxiety related, but my vet and the vet nurses all said he was just very excitable, and he'd be absolutely fine to neuter. I only considered the neutering because he would mark constantly on walks and other people's houses, and he was a humper. I was also hoping for the mythical 'calm down' because he's very energetic, but was aware this is a bit of a myth.

Well. My dog's original problems have increased 10x. He is now having prolonged, uninterrupted barking fits, at either the things he barked a few times at before, or completely new things. He saw something out the window yesterday (no idea what) and he went utterly manic for about 20 minutes, ferocious barking and hurling himself at the window. Also yesterday, we saw a cat on a walk. He's always been quietly interested in cats, but no bother. Well, he barked the street down for about 10 minutes and we had to drag him away from the poor, terrified cat.

I'm absolutely devastated. He was a difficult dog beforehand, now he is unbearable. The barking fits make me feel physically ill and make my ears ring.

And he is still humping and marking.

I know the testosterone is still leaving the system, but what from what I've read online now, this is a permanent change.

I've ruined my dog. I feel beyond awful.

You haven't ruined him testosterone is only part of his behaviour, and remember he is still developing. Humping can be an anxiety thing you might need to speak to a behaviourist about his behaviour. You sound exhausted though having a reactive dog is exhausting especially the constant barking .

It's only been 4 weeks, he still has some testosterone in his system...

What breed is your dog, are they known for barking? What are you doing to adress his unwanted behaviours?

Personally I would go back to square one and do some of formal training class and work on your own anxiety and his behaviour with someone who has experience in training dogs & their humans.

You have not failed or ruined your dog. Dog training is ongoing throughout their lives. You have just hit a tough spot and need some help to overcome it.

It's only been 4 weeks, he still has some testosterone in his system...

What breed is your dog, are they known for barking? What are you doing to adress his unwanted behaviours?

Personally I would go back to square one and do some of formal training class and work on your own anxiety and his behaviour with someone who has experience in training dogs & their humans.

You have not failed or ruined your dog. Dog training is ongoing throughout their lives. You have just hit a tough spot and need some help to overcome it.

The clue is in the name @Ylvamoon , the dog is a Cavalier.
Unfortunately, the OP has had ongoing problems with this dog - she used to post regularly on the puppy/adolescent support threads for advice, so this is not new behaviour with him.

@Cavalierchaos , did you try chemical castration first or just go for full neutering? With dogs that have anxiety/fear based reactivity, chemical castration is generally suggested as the first option. Obviously that is no help to you now, but I'm surprised if your vet didn't offer this as an option. It is known that neutering can make anxiety worse, but there must be a reason that your vet didn't consider this. Do they know the full extent of your issues?

I can't remember if you have seen a behaviourist already, I think you may have, but if not, it is probably worth asking your vet for a referral. That would definitely be the next step. Meanwhile, is there anything that you can change in his daily routine to reduce the anxiety or calm the barking? I presume you will have already tried the obvious things like distraction with high value treats or a favourite toy. When he barks at the window you need to move him into a different room, away from the window rather than let it continue for 20 minutes. Again, with the cat; barking down the street for 10 minutes doesn't sound normal, even for a reactive dog. When he kicks off you need to move him immediately away from the thing he is reacting to. Is he aggressive towards you? If not, does he calm down when you pick him up?

The humping and marking won't suddenly stop. You might begin to notice a reduction in those behaviours, but it sounds as if you need to address his stress levels and deal with the frenzied barking first before there will really be any improvement. None of this sounds like normal behaviour and it isn't something you should have to live with long term.