Lab male whining/unusual behavior

Question
We have a 14 month old male lab who just within the last 2 days has been acting strangely by constantly whining and barking seemingly to get us to take him outside.  Barking has been an ongoing issue, but it's been manageable until just 2 days ago.  He has not yet been neutered and is an indoor dog.  When we take him out, his entire focus is on sniffing and seemingly following trails of something.  Is it hormones?  Are we too late to have him fixed?

Answer
Rhonda,

My first guess with an unneutered male of that age would be something hormonal. Maybe there is a neighboring or stray female in heat. Either way, neutering tends to calm dogs down anyway. No you aren't too late at all. The earliest it is recommended to spay or neuter is at 6 months of age, and it can be safely done until a dog is geriatric. As long as everything else seems perfectly normal - he is eating, drinking, and using the restroom okay and doesn't seem to be in pain, my recommendation would be to have him neutered.

Good luck!

Ashley