I feel for you. My pup spent 6 months on lead exercise only, including in the garden, after an op for a dislocated knee when he was 3 months old. The first month he had to spend in one room in our house. No jumping, no nothing. He didn't have pins, which made it even more important that he didn't move too much. Try telling that to a retriever...!
Sounds really anal, but you need to get him interested in something other than his injury, or he is going to worry it worse and you are going to have a nervous breakdown.
I dveloped an entire arsenal of things for ours to do. Stuffed kongs and other rubbery things for getting high-value treats out of like liver and cheese, loads of different chew toys, finding treats round the kitchen, basic training, cardboard boxes to destroy and lots of company will help - all the usual pup amusement things, but with the ante slightly upped!
The best way for me to handle it was to get mine a routine with stimulating him, taking his mind off things, and whacking him out so he can get lots of sleep too, which will aid the healing process. Maybe it will help for you - anything to stop him being interested in his foot. After a couple of weeks, it will be less interesting and then before you know it, he'll be better.
Does he have to be in a small confined space when you're around? Could he be in the kitchen or a room where you are? Keep an eye on him at all times so you know exactly what he's up to.
Only put his buster on when it's really necessary, so he can explore the things you've given him to do. Putting it on will also be a signal that the fun's over and he needs to be quiet on his own for a while, which is no bad thing for a pup to learn. Vile-tasting things on the sock will all help, and keep changing it, so it doesn't get soggy too much.
It's worth checking whether you can give him a painkiller - mine was on them for at least a fortnight after the op. He sounds like it's causing him a certain level of discomfort.
It's sodding exhausting, and somewhat depressing, I seem to remember...! My DD seemed like a walk in the park compared to looking after him, but it will get better and you'll have your beautiful pup back again. Ours is now 1 year old, full of beans and bouncing with health (although he's just had his nuts off, so he's feeling a little sensitive right now...!) and I've almost forgotten what it was like to have an invalid pup.
What you want to avoid at all costs is him doing himself further damage, but you need to stay sane at the same time!!! HTH and all the best with it.