A good match?

Question
QUESTION: Hi Marcus,
2 weeks ago we adopted a 6 week old husky....long story, the police became involved, the owner's dogs were taken away and she had to move. What can I say, my heart broke and I didn't want to see this little guy go to a shelter or get euthanized. I've since found out that "Buddy" is part american bulldog. My question is, I have a 2 year old female cocker and though she seems to love him (she will sometimes snuggle up to him and take an afternoon nap) they play fight almost constantly. Should I be worried, I don't want to come home from work one day and find the cockers ears shredded cause the little boy doesn't know his own strength....they're almost the same height.
Is this a bad match? Can I leave them alone for a few hours?
We're planning on doing obediance training with him, but I've read that they're very stubborn.
Help!

ANSWER: Sibes are very stubborn, and also love to play really rough with other dogs.  Until you have a good idea of how they get along and interact, I would recommend separating them when you can't be around to supervise.  Otherwise, obedience training is definitely a good thing.

My guess, a few corrections with them playing together and usually Sibes are pretty good at figuring out how rough they can safely play with another dog.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the response.
A few more questions, if I may. At what age should we enroll him into obedience training? I've managed to teach him to sit and he's about 90% housebroken...he pees a bit on his way to the door to be let out.
Also, you mentioned a few corrections during rough play, would you have any tricks that I could apply? I broke up a particularly rough interaction yesterday, my cocker's ear was bitten, and it was dripping blood. They pretty much stayed away from each other for the rest of the day but now are back to their usual selves.
Thanks again!

Answer
Obedience training:
As soon as the dog had had time to adjust to his new home - usually about 2 weeks, up to four for young pups.  So I would say find a place now and start when you can, you should be fine.  Some places say to wait until the dog is 6 months old . . . if you find this, find a new place.  There is no reason that a dog can't begin training immediately at any age once weaned.  You do have to change your expectations for very young puppies, but they still can benefit tremendously from early structured obedience training.

Fights:
Tough one, a lot depends on how comfortable you are in working with dogs and your own strength and timing.  I have spent almost my entire life in martial arts and have no problem grabbing a dog and pulling him off another one - it's quick, I'm strong enough, and while martial arts focuses on human anatomy, I know enough to know where and how to grab a dog.  In contrast, my wife always lets me be the one to separate things, because she isn't that quick or confident.  Some people use a garden hose for outdoor fights, and inside, some just grab the hips and pull the dogs apart.  One problem in separating dogs is that when you grab one dog, the other one has an advantage in the fight.  It does help if you have two people doing the breaking up.  If you can't, I suggest trying to redirect their attention and then getting in between their heads.  Generally, if both dogs are yours, they will not want to attack you, and you can then separate them more easily once they have stopped fighting and redirected their attention towards you.  I've also heard loud noises (pots and pans right by them) can help.