separating dog and cat

I just brought Maple home. She is a 3-month-old tabby and she is terrified of my 8-year-old dog. Every time I open the door to let her out of the carrier, the dog tries to chase her. I know the dog is gentle, but the instinct is there. How do you effectively separate them for the first week? I need a plan because she is currently hiding under the bed in the guest room and I am worried she will lose weight.

Keep her in a separate room for the first 3 to 5 days. No visual contact at all. Let them just smell each other through the door. I wrote up the specific schedule I used in my thread My dog and new cat intro schedule, it has the details on when to start the first sniffing session.

Agree with the separate room. Also, try swapping a towel that has been near the dog with one near the cat. It helps them get used to the scent without the visual trigger. I did this with my two tabbies, Biscuit and Whiskers, and it took the edge off quickly. Check out swapping towels between pets for how I did it.

Make sure the guest room is secure. If Maple is a small tabby, she might squeeze under a standard door gap. I use baby gates that are specifically designed to be jump-proof. You can find options in gates that cats cant jump over. Also, if the dog is still chasing, look at training dog to leave cat alone to work on the redirect commands.

Do not worry about the hiding! My mainecoons, Loki and Freya, hid for days when they first met. It is normal. As long as she is eating and using the litter box in the guest room, she is fine. See cat hiding under bed for days for reassurance. Keep the food and water in that room so she doesn't have to venture out.

Thanks for the links. I am going to try the towel swap tonight. The dog is actually quite food motivated, so I might try feeding them on opposite sides of the door as suggested in feeding time with two species. Does that work if the dog is barking?