Vono,
I realize one's prejudice can cloud one's viewpoint. Your post is an example. A DD's is a generalist, a Lab or Ches is a specialist. Where a Ches will thump any breed is in marking. Taking a line is what one thinks of when it comes to retriever field trials but doing a triple at a hunting test demonstrates marking. The duck in the swamp is what the Germans love ( I have trained a Deusches Jagdterrier for this so I understand it) but try a 200 yard mark through cover with another 150 yrd mark and a 100 yrd mark. The terrain is what will eat a retriever up ( more so than cover). Rolling terrain or entering water three times to finish a retrieve, this tests a dog. The specialist is better than the generalist (compare a decathlete's times and distances to the Olympic Champions' in the ten events and you will understand).
To state there are more DD's in America than German wirehairs, I call bull **** on this. There are more wirehairs. Give me a break. You are talking to someone who is in the process of importing a dog to the US. I know how the Germans feel about our breeding practices. There needs to be control according to the Germans. I need to see some stats. He who asserts must prove. You have asserted now demonstrate (put up or shut up).
Finally, you state we are talking about pointing breeds so I shouldn't discuss retrievers. To point you in the right direction, this thread is about Griffons not DD's (more breed blindness). You opened the threads to different breeds not me. Your NAVHDA Shorthair isn't a Kurzhaar according to JGV-USA neither is a wirehair a DD so let's keep things in perspective. My suggestion is to try a Ches or watch one work because you haven't. A Lab can't out spaniel a spaniel in the uplands (nor out shorthair a shorthair either for the pointing labs). Your shorthair might work well for you but maybe not a retriever guy. Go toa retriever hunt test or field trial with your eyes open and come back and talk to me. Your dog couldn't do the marks but the Ches or Lab could do the duck search the Germans love quite easily. It's not hard at all for a retriever. In fact the 100 yard blind acrossed the pond with the search, which eats up so many NAVHDA dogs, is elementary for a retriever,sois the duck search. I've seen SH dogs do much tougher blind and JH do a duck search. I think these are utility level tests in NAVHDA. Check it out. See if I'm not right.
Dr Fatguy