You and I said much the same thing... And I agree, seperating them at the moment of the conflict isn't helping. They need to work this out without a lot of interference, and the wrong kind of interference can be detrimental.
It takes a good eye watching the situations develop to see which of the two is really going to be the dominant personality. It may be the female or the male, but whichever it ends up being you can't really change it.
That said, when I've had issues with my dogs not accepting a new one, or not playing well with others, I've interfered only when it got too rough and was excalating. and then I've interfered with a "HEY! CUT IT OUT!" and/or a spray bottle in the face to the aggressor. That will usually break the tension of the moment. But I dont' coddle either dog afterwards.
You also don't want to try to introduce dogs on a tight leash... the tight leash triggers all kinds of aggressive/defensive adrenaline in a dog. If they must be on leash, it must be slack... don't introduce them already straining.
Spoken like an astute dog person! You know your dogs!
It just happens so fast though. In a blink of an eye her mouth is on him. But when we say something she all of a sudden becomes submissive again ducking as if we're going to hit her (we've never so much as spanked her).
"But I dont' coddle either dog afterwards."
Afterwards the puppy generaly tries to jump in our lap or hide behind my wife or I.
With..
3 dogs,
7 cats,
2 parrots,
2 lizards,
49 llamas,
8 alpacas,
1 bactrian camel,
1 swan,
5 turkeys,
multiple ducks, geese, chickens,
I might know a tad about conflict resolution.
The various liberal jackasses down the road will just have to work things out for themselves.