First, rest assured, you will not get it all right. Everyone makes mistakes, and that's OK. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks and bad habits can be corrected, should they arise. (and they will)
You doing the right thing with stopping the dog from licking your face. I think the most important part is giving the dog an alternative. (once you get him off your face, giving him something else to lick, like a frozen kong)
Personally, I would not play with the puppy in the pen. Play time with you is outside the pen, calm/alone time for the puppy is inside the pen. I am sure others have their own methods, so remember that this is just one person's opinion.
When you say "kennel" do you mean a crate? You can and should put a toy or two in the crate when you are crate training. It helps make the crate a good, happy place for the dog. We usually leave our dog with her kong and a toy or her bone. As for when to start crate training, I have no idea, but we didn't do it until our dog was about 7-8 months old, so even if you don't start now, it can still be done a little later.
Good luck, enjoy your puppy, and remember, you'll make mistakes but it isn't the end of the world.
You doing the right thing with stopping the dog from licking your face. I think the most important part is giving the dog an alternative. (once you get him off your face, giving him something else to lick, like a frozen kong)
Personally, I would not play with the puppy in the pen. Play time with you is outside the pen, calm/alone time for the puppy is inside the pen. I am sure others have their own methods, so remember that this is just one person's opinion.
When you say "kennel" do you mean a crate? You can and should put a toy or two in the crate when you are crate training. It helps make the crate a good, happy place for the dog. We usually leave our dog with her kong and a toy or her bone. As for when to start crate training, I have no idea, but we didn't do it until our dog was about 7-8 months old, so even if you don't start now, it can still be done a little later.
Good luck, enjoy your puppy, and remember, you'll make mistakes but it isn't the end of the world.
