I have a 3 month old labradoodle who refuses to go for a walk. I put him on the leash, he goes out into the yard and then as soon as we leave our yard he "puts on the brakes" and just sits (sometimes he'll lay down). I've tried coaxing him with treats. My 7 year old son will run ahead of us to try and distract him, but nothing! At first I thought it was the incline of the sidewalk for some reason, so I picked him up and carried him for a little while. When I sit him down, he turns toward the house and starts running. It's not that he can't walk on the leash, it's that he doesn't want to leave the house/yard. I've tried going in every direction from the house... and always the same thing... he'll fight me leaving, but walk/run fine on the way back. The problem is that he's getting a little too heavy for me to carry for half the distance of our walk! Can someone help?

I'm not a dog expert, but it sounds to me like the dog is scared to leave familiar territory. Have you tried taking him to obedience classes? If he feels like you are in charge and will protect him from scary situations, he may be more willing to leave familiar ground.