Change in behaviour

Someone I meet out walking is having problems with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He's a 3 year old entire dog, very handsome and with a lovely temperament, that she inherited when her Mum died 2 months ago.

Until the last week or so he had been very well behaved, he played with his ball and had excellent recall on walks.

However they went to stay with a friend for the weekend who has a bitch who was on heat and since then he has been trying to hump all the other dogs he plays with, irrespective of gender, and he won't recall from another dog and will follow it until she goes and gets him.

Along with having to deal with the stress of bereavement she doesn't want to be having to chase Jasper all over the park so she is thinking about getting him castrated as she has no intention of ever breeding from him.

So do you all think that he's just unsettled because of being around the bitch and this behaviour will settle down of it's own accord or should she nip it in the bud and get him the snip?

J

A castration on its own won't work and she will still have to work at changing the behaviour.
Everyone has different opinions about how useful castration is in changing behaviour,I have seen it calm dogs down, but in this dogs case it may be a learnt behaviour as he is 3. It may also settle.
Having said that, if it was me, I would castrate, if only because of the possibility of prostate disease when he is older but I am biased and thats because my own dog has suffered with it,everyone has differing opinions on the effects of neutering.Ultimately all your friend can do is read up, ask her vet and perhaps chat with a behaviourist

I think he's upset from being around rhe bitch but whether castrating him now will cure the problem I don't know. Have friends with a castrated BC who dtill humps every dog he meets & also people's legs when they are sat. Neutering has made no difference to him so I'm afraid it may not solve her problems.