What a sweet face! How could anyone resist that face? He’ll give you lots of love and slobbery kisses through the years.
Thanks for thinking rescue!
Great that you rescued!
And of course the crate/kennel is NEVER, EVER used to punish him. You want it to be a place of refuge, not a prison he hates. You can save yourself a lifetime of battles of will if you don’t make him associate the crate with Bad Things.
One trick I’ve seen is to show the dog the toy/treat, then toss it into the kennel and close the door. Then tell the dog to go get it. When the dog gives you the “asshole, there’s a door in my way” look, then you open the door and hey presto, they dive right in. I don’t think I’d use that every time, but it probably has its place while training.
And yes, ridiculously cute. Have fun! 