Curious, does the dog back up when she slaps him?
How is this encounter happening? Are you putting him next to her and she is slapping him? or he approaches her himself? or is she the one going after him?
My cats and dog get along pretty fantastic, play, groom each other, ect. I have always had cats and dogs together of many breeds, siberians, shepherds, collies, goldens, ect. It was always more about teaching the dog than trying to teach the cat.
My cat will still give the dog a growl and a slap if she has had enough of him. It's just her way of saying, okay I have had enough! Dog's cant read the subtle body language of cats like tail twitching ect, so it escalates to a smack which the dog understands.
When they first met a hiss and a slap is exactly what he got the first time, he backed off and that helped her realize she can control the situation and him being around isn't a huge deal.
I would watch her body language and see if she is giving other subtle cues to the dog that the poor dog cant read/understand (because shes a cat and not a dog). I'm talking about tail twitching, ear positioning, dilated pupils, ect.
You may just need to train the dog to leave her alone or try putting the dog on a down/stay and play with her. Get her used to his presence as just that, a presence and not an annoyance. They may never be 'friends' but if the dog is well behaved and can be taught to leave the cat alone, then they should be able to at least co-habitat.
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