New nervous Chow puppy, help please.

[Balisong]

Hi to everyone. I just got a new Chow puppy yesterday afternoon. He's around 2 months and a week old. When I went to look at him at the owner's house he was very sweet. obeying sit commands, letting the owner open his mouth. The owners were 3 teenage girls that seemed to genuinely care and love the pups. He has 3 other siblings. When I took him home I put him in one of those dog crates that are approved by airlines and stuff. He Didn't seem to mind in the beginning of the trip. Aroung halfway through though he started barking/whinning. He was barking protest maybe 5-10 minutes out of the 45 minute ride home. When I was going to get him out of the crate that was in the car he kept barking at me and nipping at me. He didnt seem agressive, just very nervous. I had to carry the crate to the house and then in a secure area tried to make peace with him for putting him in the crate he he. I understand that it's a very stressful time for such a young puppy. We have had dogs before but none of them ever barked and nipped at me (chows, boxer, GSP, bulldogs). He was not alone in the litter and his previous owners seemed to pamper him a lot.

After a few attempts he was willing to let me touch him. I gave him ice while he was licking it and barking at me at the same time. He lets me touch him most of the time, wags his tail sometimes when I touch him, licks my feet and hands. Sometimes though when I try and touch him or carry him he'll still nip at me. Or yelp when I try and carry him. Since he's not used to using a leash and I have a hard time carrying him it can be difficult to move him around.
I also went to the petshop a while ago to get food. I left him in the caged up balcony. I was gone for around 20-30 minutes. When I got back I could hear him. Maybe he wasn't used to his new surroundings. I know I'm sounding like such a selfish person right now. Maybe I wasn't as ready to have a puppy as I thought I was. I have a feeling that it's a number of things: some chows can be stubborn, nervous and cranky(though the previous 3 Chows I have dealt with were sweet); He was taken away too young from his family; I traumatized him during the car ride. I didn't think 2 months and 1 week was too young but I guess it really depends on the dog, there's no specific formula. I just want him to be a more balanced puppy that isn't too nervous when left alone or around a lot of people. I have been asking people to come over today so he can meet and be socialized. I also would love to find out what I should do when he nips at me and my guests and barks at us. So sorry for the long post. The little rascal is trying to figure out how to get the food out of the kong at the moment. I try and excercise him but he's not used to the leash yet. He also doesn't like to play fetch too much (a chow trait I think), sometimes he plays with falling leaves. If any of you have any tips I would be very grateful. I should also try and keep in mind how traumatic it is for him, 2 months is very young.

[Merlin]

It might help you better understand what this puppy is going through if you put yourself in his shoes.

All of a sudden, you're taken away from what you knew as "home", by a STRANGER, and now are plunged into an entire new world that you are unfamiliar with.
Are you in danger? Will you get harmed? Your pack that protected and nurtured you is now gone! How can you possible trust someone you don't even know?
And I can tell you, this is a sign of a very highly unsocialized puppy, so you have your future work cut out for you. You didn't mention where this puppy comes from either, so maybe temperament is or will be an issue in the future if not properly managed.

Please give this puppy some time to adjust to his new surroundings.
I can understand that it's not leash trained, but picking it up isn't the solution.

You can make friends with taking time to get to know him before taking him all over the place.
A nice brush makes for good friends. Treats do too. Taking time to play together and learn a few things together.
Instead of taking him to a store, take him for a small walk in his own environment first for a while ( which is safer and healthier for your puppy anyways).

You might be going too fast and expecting too much too soon.
Right now this puppy's mind is in overload and he's looking to protect his own interests.
He doesn't know you, he doesn't trust you, and you have to cultivate that before going on to other things.
Put yourself in his paws.

[Balisong]

Hi this is a photo of the young whippersnapper! His name is Katsu. Will post more about him in a bit! Merling thanks for the great advice and other perspective.