It has been said that this is a hereditary trait.  It is advised not to use a male that had an undescended testicle for breeding.

The medical term for an undescended testicle  is cryptorchidism .  It is also know as retained testicles or undropped testes.

The testicles should be down in the scrotum by 8 weeks of age when the vet checks all the pups for their health certificate prior to pups going to their forever homes.

This should be noted by the vet on the health certificate for that particular pup and the breeder should inform the buyer of this so buyer can keep on top of it and discuss it with their vet prior to neutering.

Sometimes one or both will not have descended.  They can still drop down later; some as late as 6 months – but that is rare.

I have also heard that gently massaging the scrotum daily can help the testicle drop.

The important thing is when the dog goes in to the vet to be neutered that they go inside to find the undescended testicle.

Sometime it is found very easily.  The vas deferens will often wrap around something just above where the testicle should have descended from.  Other times it is wrapped around another organ and the vet needs to search further for the testicle.  In most cases it atrophies and dries up.  Sometimes it does not.
Either way, it needs to be removed for the health of the dog.  Most vets charge about $75.00 more than a traditional neuter because they need to make an incision in the belly to find the testicle.

A basic neuter is less invasive and only involves opening the scrotum, removing the testicles and suturing the scrotum back up.

More info here:

http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/cryptorchidism.html#testis-desex

Patty

www.snowcolabradors.com