oh, how fun!
I just need to know - - how does the puppy get from the kennel to the bed, or vice versa?
A lot of people don't think that teaching a puppy to be in a kennel is restrictive, but I have found that the kennel provides a stability and safe place that helps the puppies fit into the family better.
(not the same as a playpen and a human baby, though the playpen usually has a good place in the human family, also) <wave>
and, how does puppy think about the lab? (do you think female babies are more gregarious than males?) <wave>