i am at the end of my rope

Not telling you to do it, as I don't think I could, but my Dad shot more "hunting" dogs than we ever successfully trained to hunt.  A gun-shy dog was worse than a cheating wife.(not that my Mom ever strayed, but you know what I mean)  He also couldn't tolerate a dog that couldn't hunt, yet wasn't "guard dog" quality either.  Worse yet, was if the dog was a menace to the house/farm.  I remember trying to get a dog to hunt, which it refused to, and then it would run the chickens and geese we had 'til their feathers were covering the ground.  He tried every trick in the book (he read from an old-school book), yet we only had a couple good hunters through the years.  Realistically, I think he only shot 3 dogs, but that was enough to tell me hunting dogs aint easy, and the few friends I've had over the years who had them confirmed that.  Good luck.

Only thing I can say is make it fun for the dog when training they'll eventually get it. Alot of praise and treats when they get it right.

     Don't give up on her. It's just a stage, and if you can deal with it calmly, she'll get over it more quickly.  If you're gone long hours, it might be best to keep her outside during that time. Just make sure she has good shelter, with lots of shade, and plenty of fresh water, that she can't tip over. Make time for her every day, if possible, and try to make it fun for her. The more she's around the family, and gets positive attention for good behavior, the sooner the bad behaviors will stop. She's still a puppy and needs lots of attention. I agree with fishin coyote. She has separation anxiety and is bored, so she'll chew on anything and everything, just to occupy time. Wait until she discovers your shoes. 
     It does take some considerable time and patience, that first year to year and a half. But, hang in there and keep working with her and one of these days, you'll be surprised at how far she's come.
     Also, don't feed her right before you kennel her... that's just asking for trouble and setting her up for an accident. Feed her at least an hour or so before you're going to leave, and make sure she has at least 15 - 30 minutes outside, before she goes in the kennel for the day.
     As for her not being focused, it takes time. Once she has a few birds brought down in front of her, you may see a whole different dog. It took my Brittany most of her first season to "get it." She would hide behind me and cower, every time she heard a shot. She was so scared, she was trembling. After she saw a dozen or so birds go down, it finally just clicked. Now, I can't get out the door, if I'm dressed in orange and carrying a gun, and every shot has her scanning the sky for a falling bird.
     Just to clarify, I'm no expert. I'm just sharing what has worked for me, with my Brittany and 2 Chocolate Labs, and mine have turned out to be excellent in my home and in the field. They still take a good 5 minutes to settle down and hunt, when I first turn them loose, but after that, they're all business and never disappoint me.
Good luck and hang in there!!!

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Jeremy,
 
Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.
 
I can't hlp you with the house/crate thing, my bird dogs split their time between a kennel and a heated "Mutt Hut."  They only com ein the house for about an hour or so each day.  That is not to say they are neglected, they, and we, just prefer them to be outside.
 
As for the nose to the ground issue -- STOP NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Pointing dogs locate birds through a scent cone produced by the birds "BODY" scent.  That is why they run with their heads up.  The scent cone gets wider as it drifts up and away from the bird.  In competition circles, if a pointing dog puts its nose to the ground it is culled and no further training time is wasted on the dog.
 
By using commercial scents, which suck by the way, on a drag, you are inadvertantly teaching your dog to foot track.  While that is great for a flushing dog that tracks foot scent, all it teaches a pointing dog to do to push running birds which will more than likely flush at the next cover break which is always out of shotgun range.  Or, worse yet, it teaches them to pursue a moving bird and the bird gets bumped.  Once your pointing dog finds out how much fun it is to bust birds, you will have a long row to hoe to get it back to being staunch and steady.
 
There is no substiute for live birds.  Remember bird is a bird dog's first name.  Whether you use quail, which I prefer, or chukars, because they are available, here is a simple method I use.
 
Go to LCSupply.com and look up the garden hose tethers for birds.  Basically it is a a section of garden hose with string that attaches to each of the bird's feet.  LC sells them, but I made my own.  Hook up the bird to the tether, dizzy it by spinning in a sack, and place the bird in a piece of light cover that you can easily identify.  Repeat this with four birds.
 
Put you dog on a lead -- about 25 feet is good for a pup and run her arounf for about 10 minutes so he gets accustomed to the check cord.  Then lead her with the wind in her face toward one of the birds.  As soon as she startes to get birdy (she may even point -- all of mine did), lightly tighten up on the check cord and command "whoa" (since oyu have worked on this with her).  Milk your way down the cord to her side and gently stroke her commanding whoa softly and tellign her she is a good girl.  Get a firm grip on her collar.  Have someone else circle around in front so she can plainly see them and have them lift the bird by the hose.  It will flap a lot and excite the dog.  Give the genlt whoa.  After a few seconds, have the person release the bird.  While it flies away, have that person fire the blank gun.
 
After the bird lands, release the dog and head in a completely opposite direction of the bird (retrieve training comes later).  while you do the 10 minute run around thing, the other person can pick up the bird (it only flew a short distance because of the hose) for reuse.  Repeat this for all four birds, then quit.
 
After a few sessions, you will start to see the wheels turning and Ginger will be on her way.
 
If oyu have any other questions, just ask.

Jeremy,
 
How did you make out with the live birds at Warriors Mark?

Really??? My lab messed in his crate one time and has been completely housetrained with no accidents since he was 4 months old.  Not saying he hadn't thrown up in that time...he'd always do that in the middle of the night waking me up with hacking.  Sucked!  Maybe I got lucky but that one time was absolutely TERRIBLE... let's just say he re-decorated the 2 walls his crate was next to...

By the way, went to the smaller crate. She pee'd in it once. Ive been letting her stay inside at night because she will be getting fixed on friday. Ive also started to control when she eats, not a mess since.

Jeremy,
 
Don't be surprised if Ginger won't work with pidgeons.  None of my English Pointers wanted anything to do with them.  Several English Setters that Ihave worked with didn't either -- other than a momentary point before moving on.
 
Quail seem to work much better.  And every quail trained dog that Ihave been around have moved on to chukars, grouse, and pheasants without any issues.