Puppy help

Question
Hello, I recently adopted a new puppy from a local rescue. It is now 4 months old, male, staffordshire Terrier mix, about 15 lbs. So far he knows sit, stay, come, down, fetch, stand, and back-up. We have used a crate for sleeping, naps, and time outs during the day ever since we got him which was at 8 weeks old, so we have had him for 2 months. At first he could have dog beds in his crate and he would cuddle in them, however now he bites them and tears them apart. He has ruined two beds. One question I have is, is it ok for him to be in his crate and not have a bed or blanket on the hard plastic? I dont want to make him uncomfortable but I know that they more he chews on beds and blankets the more he thinks it is ok, which it is not. Can he be in his crate with no bed or blanket? Also, while he knows all of these commans, he only listens when he sees a treat. This is a problem because when I do not have a treat and he is doing something wrong and I say come he does not listen. Will this change as he gets older as long as I keep training him? Will I always have to use treats? One other problem I am having is that he just doesnt seem to get use to a leash. He is very use to his collar but as soon as I put his leash on he gets very scared and tries to hide. I have consistently tried to get him use to the leash ever since I got him by just putting the leash on him and letting him drag it around to get use to it. At first he seemed ok but now he just doesnt like it. Is there anything else I can do to get him use to the leash? I also have a harness I want to use but until he is use to a leash I do not want to cause any more fear for the restraint items. Finally, I have a 6 year old pomeranian male, neutered dog as well. Our new puppy constantly tries to play with the pom but since the new puppy is a bigger dog, already twice the poms size, he almost smashes the pom. The pom is older and not really into playing. Neither are aggressive which is great but they dont seem to get along because the new puppy continues to be too rough. How can we help the new puppy be gentle with the pom or at least not pester him? Thanks for your help.

Answer
Souonds like you are doing a good job with him. I think letting him sleep in a bare crate is less dangerous than the possibility of injesting torn bedding. You might actually have better luck with the leash attached to a harness (gets the pressure off his neck/throat)and be very aware of your responsibility to allow him to feel a loose leash. Many dogs resist when the person is keeping the leash tight on them all the time. Start getting in the habit of rewarding him with a treat (he doesn't see it first) instead of showing him food to get behavior. One is reward, the other is bribary. A good clicker training class will teach you how to get the pup to work on faith that a good performace will be rewarded. For your little pom, I think your best option is to intervene (nicely - a recall and treat) to keep the large puppy from overwhelming him.