Kitten hissing and spitting at my dog

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Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some advice to help me better understand this rather explosive situation...

We've just brought home a little 2-month-old female kitten. She was born at my parents' house and comes from a line of four generations! All the cats in her family have always been absolute sweethearts and very sociable.

She's been with us for 4 days now :) She's lovely with me and my partner; she purrs, plays, eats everything, and she's house-trained!

The issue is our dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog weighing around 123 lbs (nearly 9 stone), but he's a real gentle giant who obeys our every word! When he sees the kitten, we keep him calm in a 'down-stay' position; he starts whingeing because he's desperate to go and see his new friend :) But she hisses the moment he looks at her! When that happens, we pick her up to reassure her.

We've been introducing them several times a day and things were going better and better; we could get the kitten within 50cm of the dog while he stayed still without her hissing.

By the 3rd day, we could even get her to play near the dog quite easily, until she started spitting right in his face, followed by some aggressive swiping. Today is the 4th day and she's actually approaching him on her own; the dog is being less reactive, almost ignoring her, but the kitten is spitting more and more as she gets closer! We find it quite aggressive and alarming...

So, we're wondering what the best approach is... even though there's progress in her getting closer to him, her reactions are more aggressive than they were at the start.

How should we handle the kitten during these tricky moments?

Thanks in advance!

Translated from French
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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Thanks for such a quick reply! Just now, we were in the living room playing with her (with a ball of tinfoil) and suddenly she sneaked under the coffee table to get closer to the dog. All of a sudden, she gave him a big swipe while moving towards him and hissing! Is ignoring it still a good idea in this case? Because if we’d let her be, we think she would have "attacked" him... Thanks for your help :)
    Translated from French
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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi, there’s nothing you need to do; the cat is reacting in a perfectly normal way. He’s in a new home and hasn’t quite settled into his surroundings or got used to your pooch yet, but things will improve with time. Above all, don’t punish the cat if he hisses; it’s better to just ignore it.

    PS: You mustn’t force things, it’ll all happen naturally. Let the kitten play near him or not, regardless of the spot. It’s not just physical contact that will get them to bond, but also your dog’s scent, which the cat will gradually get used to. So, no rushing – it’ll all come together in time.

    Translated from French

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