Interesting questions! Let me take a stab at em.
...which breed/strain/ breeding program has improved the most in terms of hunting, testing, health, and temperament in the last ten years? And which breed/strain has fallen out of favor? Breeds that were solid ten years ago seem to be just as solid today. Pointers, Setters, Brittanies, Draht/GWPs, GSP/Kurz are all still doing quite well. Pudelpointers seem to be gaining even more ground thanks (mainly I believe) to the PP Alliance. Griffs are making good progress, Spinoni have improved and breeders/hunters interested in field-bred Weimaraners are (finally) starting to get their act together. I can't really think of any one breed of v-dog that has fallen out of favour, but it is becoming increasingly clear that numbers of dogs being bred are down across almost all breeds in much of the world. And hunting dog breeds are no exception. In fact, if anything, their decline may be even greater than many of the other breeds. Even more obvious is that some of the traditional kennel clubs, registries and breed clubs are in decline, in particular, the AKC which seems to be in almost a free fall (see
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.ca/201 ... lapse.html) On the other hand, v-dog clubs affiliated with the parent club in Germany are becoming more numerous and most of them seem to be doing very well. Ten years ago, there were only a couple (VDD and one club for the Deutsch Kurzhaar/GSP) now there are more. The Deutsch Langhaar, Pudelpointer now have such clubs and the Small Munsterlander folks are in the process of forming one for their breed and there is talk of one for the Weimaraner.
Also which of the more recent European imported breeds/strains have gained a respectable foothold in the US and will make a larger impact in the next ten years? The French Brittany and the Braque Francais seem to be gaining ground and good things are (finally) starting to happen for the Bracco Italiano. The Braque du Bourbonnais and Braque d'Auvergne have gained a few more converts and the French Spaniel (épagneul francais), always a popular breed in Quebec, is starting to branch out a bit. Another breed to keep an eye on is the Cesky Fousek. It is also making inroads into the North American hunting scene. There are still a few more breeds that have yet to gain a foothold in North America, but I think they should be better known. The Picardy Spaniel and the Portuguese Pointer for example are two breeds that, given a chance, could really suit a lot of hunters over here.
