While castration is the most common surgery carried out on the genitals of male dogs in first‐opinion practice, there are several other, less common, surgical procedures that are performed to treat various conditions affecting the male reproductive tract. This article discusses the surgical diseases and treatment of the scrotum, testes and epididymides of dogs. A second article, to be published in the March issue of In Practice, will cover the surgical techniques used to manage disorders of the penis and prepuce.