 Barked: Fri Feb 20, '09 4:39pm PST |
 | |  | | Hiya Hoover! 
Separation anxiety can be overcome, but it is often difficult and requires patience.
My cousin and housemate Sonny Jim has Separation Anxiety, but he is not really destructive, although once he partially destroyed a friend's couch cushion when she and her dog were babysitting him. Mostly he just rearranged the cushions everyday!
At home, he isn't destructive, he just jumps on the banquette and whines loudly or paws the door and whines loudly or paces in a nervous manner whenever one of the parents leave. But we know this is because he was left alone a lot (even with no food, poor thing) as a puppy! 
My parents have known dogs who chewed through drywall, etc. And I'm sure Hoover was extra nervous in a very new situation, around new people, and new dogs, and a new house.
Mom has a few ideas:
Usually a secure place like a crate with a sturdy bed and a Kong works well. He should understand that it is not punishment, so put him in there intermittently for naps, etc.
Pointers need tons of exercise unless they are really elderly, ill, or not typical of the breed. They need to run, run, run, run. If you don't have a big safe off-leash area for them to run and play, or you don't have anyone in your family training for a marathon or an Iron Man (Woman) competition (BOL!), I recommend riding a bike with them. That's how I kept my pointer in shape back when I was a kid in the suburbs. Now I kind of live in the woods, so I just let my pointer puppy run with my big dogs.
It looks like you've taken Hoover back to his foster home, but thanks for trying. Pointers and setters and other bird dogs are great goofy, funny, smart affectionate dogs. Separation anxiety in any breed is a lot to work through. I see that you have a Golden Retriever. I have one of those, too. While I think they can be hyper as puppies, I don't think they require nearly as much sheer running as pointing breeds. There are a lot of adult dogs out there that could use a family like yours. |  |  | |  |
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Dogster Obsessions: The Starter Kit for Dogs by Wildebeest
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