Hello.

I realize that we've only had him for five days but the potty training is not going well. He already can sit, lay down, go to his crate, sleeps through the nights... but he can't get potty trained. I want to know what we're doing wrong. I think living in Iowa and it being winter definitely is freaking him out. His paws are uncalloused and cold... also a big backyard is different than his little crate he was used to. So... after days of him literally refusing to go outside... (crying, pulling to go in, etc.) we decided to try puppy pads. It is now located right by the door. My question is... is this going to work? And how do I transition him to go outside once the weather gets nice? Will he ALWAYS refuse to go outside forever now that we're doing the puppy pads? Argh... it's very exhausing... someone help us please, we just want to do what's best for him.

What sort of surface did the puppy use before you got him? Puppies probably pay more attention to the surface texture than anything else. How old is he? Almost sounds like he has not been exposed to a lot of new sights and sounds, and may actually be afraid of the big bad world outside. Most Labs don't pay much attention to cold, being bred to work in cold water. Even though his feet are still tender, I would expect a Lab puppy to be chomping at the bit to see what's outside.
If the pee pads are working, I would continue to use them for the time being. Work on his socialization, and when the time comes he should be ready to face the outside world. There's no reason you can't take a pee pad outside during the transition, just until he gets the hang of things. You may need to put a piece of furniture over where his pad is now, just to remind him that this is no longer the potty spot.