I have only had girls in the past so nuts are a relatively new area to me. I kept a boy from this past litter and the vet said that one of the nuts had not decended yet and seems smaller (he is 11 weeks). Yes, I did ask her if this was a problem and her answer was "I don't know". Since I can't get a complete answer out of her, for those of you with boys, is this potentially a big issue or will this most likely correct itself and I have nothing to worry about? I really like this boy.

How does your vet knows the size if it hasn't descended? Is it in the inguinal area? can you touch it? if the answer is yes, then it will correct by itself. X-rays? If you can't touch it, you have 50/50 chance of it not coming down.
The border line here is that it is a genetic trait. He will produce puppies with the same problem. Who ever breeds to him, will end up with puppies (maybe show prospect puppies)with no testicles, and those puppies will have to be placed as pets because you can't sell a show puppy with no testicles.
Good luck, and I hope the nut falls from the tree.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2109&aid=897

I was always told that true orchidizm (retained nuts) is a trait produced from the bitches side of the family if it is really that .
You would need to see a repeat of this happening on that bitches next litter possibly to realy, know .See if she has more male puppies with this problem .
I have heard of older puppies
takelonger than 4mos to drop the other nut .
So it may be nothing and an isolated thing.
Now if its not dropped into the sack and the dog is say 8 mos old. It might not do it .Then you maybe looking at a nice pet dog that needs nuetering /sorry.
It happens. Like barren bitches that never convieve.

What do you mean basic genetics? There are two basic types of traits, recessive and dominant. If a trait is caused by a dominant gene then only one parent needs to have the gene to potentially produce an affected pup. Just didn't want some lurking new person to assume all traits are recessive.

Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying, did you mean cryptorchidism specifically is a recessive?

Cryptorchidism is common in male dogs, occurring at a rate of to 10%. Although the genetics are not fully understood, it is thought to be a recessive, and probably polygenetic, trait. Some have speculated that it is a sex-limited autosomal recessive trait; however, it is unlikely to be simple recessive. Dog testes usually descend by ten days of age and it is considered to be cryptorchidism if they do not descend by the age of eight weeks. Cryptorchidism can be either bilateral (causing sterility) or unilateral, and inguinal or abdominal (or both). Because it is an inherited trait, affected dogs should not be bred and should be castrated. The parents should be considered carriers of the defect and a breeder should thoughtfully consider whether to breed the carrier parent or not. Littermates may be normal, carriers, or cryptorchid. Castration of the undescended teste(s) should be considered for cryptorchid dogs due to the high rate of testicular cancer, especially sertoli cell tumors. The incidence of testicular cancer is 13.6 times higher in dogs with abdominally retained testicles compared with normal dogs. Testicular torsion is also more likely in retained testicles. Surgical correction is by palpation of the retained testicle and subsequent exploration of the inguinal canal or abdomen, however it is against AKC rules to show altered dogs, making this correction pointless and unethical for breeding stock.
In Padgett's book, he states that cryptorchidism is a genetic predisposition in our breed and is a recessive trait of undetermined mode of inheritance.

Thats right what someone else said. If you can feel it most likely it will drop by 12/14 weeks and all is okay. If you can't even find it thats different. I don't know. The only one I had like that dropped by 12 weeks but you could always see or find it.

Keep in mind it is not always genetic. Hutch say's there are other reasons...early closer of the ring, injury and since they migrate from around the kidneys, they can get tangled as they descend. Owner/breeder should always have the vet check when doing the neuter to see "Why the testicle did not descend". This way you know if it effects your breeding program.