Dogs not getting along...

The single most important advice I have to offer is make absolutely sure that there are no toys or treats anywhere.   Sometimes a stick is a toy to certain dogs, so even that may not be enough though. If Cherokee is intent on attacking Jaz, then I don't see anyway to allow them to be together except with the muzzle on.  For me, that wouldn't be pleasant for the dogs or the humans, so unless it was necessary that they be together, and I can't imagine why it would be, I'd probably keep them completely separated.  As someone who has dealt with the dog-dog aggression problem, I know how upsetting it can be, but ultimately protecting the dogs is the only important thing.

If Cherokee is intent on attacking Jaz, then I don't see anyway to allow them to be together except with the muzzle on.

 
She doesn't show ANY sort of aggression towards him through gates or doors, and she doesn't attack him immediately when they're together. I honestly think they'll be okay once they get used to each other, I'm just wondering how to get them used to each other. [] 
 
We've just been trading them in and out of our bedrooms today, so when Jaz is out, Cherokee's in my room, and when Cherokee's out, Jaz is in my sister's room, but that's already getting old.
 
And the thing about the muzzle is she's desperate to get it off the whole time it's on, and it's only a flimsy nylon one that she actually CAN get off herself if she tries hard enough. I guess if they're not okay in a couple days, I'll buy a stronger muzzle, I just hate to muzzle her...
 
Aside from the toys and treats, any other suggestions for when we put them together? Should we let them establish their pack status, if that means Cherokee's showing aggression, or should I butt in? Even when she did go after him, she obviously wasn't really trying to hurt him or she would have. But even if I trusted her not to hurt him (which I don't!), I have no idea if I should let her try to dominate him like she was.
 
Thanks Cathy, btw. I really appreciate any advice.

My girls never showed any signs of aggression either and even after a fight and we separated them, they'd be wagging their tails and whimpering to be back together.  I think it can be very misleading though, or at least it was with our 2.  They always seemed excited to be together but Sassy can be a bully like Cherokee and would jump on Buffy's back and just antagonize her.  Still that didn't lead to fights either but I think the general tension builds and then over something like a ball or treat (once it was a dirt clod [:@]), things can erupt.  If you decide to give it a try again I have a couple of suggestions - make sure Cherokee is tired out.  If she's like Sassy, she's got a ton of energy and if it's pent up, she can be obnoxious.  Keep a leash on both of them so that if a fight happens, you can break it up more easily.  Be aware that the first fight Sassy & Buffy had was pretty easy to break up.  Each successive one (separated by weeks, and sometimes months) was harder and harder and more damage was done.  I do agree that intervening can sometimes make matters worse, but I can tell you in our situation, there was no way we could've not stepped in.  I know it can be different with some dogs though, so I think you'd have to use your judgement on that one.  I'm not a risk-taker, so I'd  continue to use the muzzle, at least for awhile.  Even if it's the nylon type, it should still be enough to keep Cherokee from causing serious bite damage.  However, if it turns out that Jaz reacts and is a biter, then you'd have a problem of one being unable to defend themselves.  

I just wanted to update real quick. For the past two days they've been out together almost constantly and they're doing GREAT. Cherokee's not muzzled, because I realized that only makes her meaner. They had one little tiff yesterday, when my sister came in the door, and both of them greeted her, which Cherokee did not like at all. But she didn't do anything but bark (in a very mean, attack dog way, but still), and we didn't even have to separate them afterwards. At the moment, they're both sleeping at my feet (LOL, just as I typed this Cherokee stood up and walked away, but still!). She's let out a few short growls, he changes whatever he was doing that she didn't like, and that's the end of it. Obviously they're not totally fine, and she's not totally trustworthy, and we're not leaving them alone together at all (even if I'm just leaving the room for a second, I make one of them come with me), but this is great progress, and I'm SO impressed that she's being soo good, that I just had to share. [sm=clapping%20hands%20smiley.gif]

It sounds like dogs being dogs. She is obviously the dominant one so don't worry about her dominating him, it's what dogs do. If she was never biting or causing harm and it just sounded bad and she seemed rough with  him I think you were over reacting and probably adding to the problem. If she sensed you were nervous than she thought she should be nervous which just makes the problem worse. The hardest part is being the calm assertive one in those situations. Don't scold or comfort when this is going on and let them work it out. If you want to stop it lead her away to get her mind going in a differant direction. Learn to use your body language and tone to get your message across that you are the dominate one and try and observe what she does to be dominate and use it to your advantage.