Pet Forums 2000

she's 13 months old, a little nervous, she grew up in the country, and i'm a bit further into the city.

she's very sweet, accepting of other animals, and unique to her breed in almost every way...she's basically the perfect dog.

but she won't stop following me around and i need her to explore the house on her own so she gets comfortable enough to feel like she doesn't need me around to do everyday doggy tasks, so to speak.

so what should i do? leave her be alone for a bit to check out the space? or any other ideas? (i know she wont tear anything up or go to the bathroom in the house so that's not a problem)

ALSO we have two cats who are also, very sweet and pretty well behaved, but they're frightened too, as you can imagine, and i don't think i want to overwhelm her (or them for that matter) by introducing them right now.

they DO know that she's here, (and she knows they're here) so should i keep them in separate rooms for now and wait until my Akita is used to the house, and the cats have grasped the fact that she's here to stay? or just get it all out of the way right now?

i'm really only concerned about the CATS trying to get a rise out of her, (they're in the bedroom right now, she is in the living room, they're not running from me and have sniffed my hands without much reaction, but their fur is all puffed up/back arched like they're scared). River (my Akita) is very good natured, but if an animal gets in her face she tends to snap at them. (not bite, just snap) but i don't want it to escalate into something terrible. (hence the reason for asking if i should introduce them now, or if the cats pestering her will only stress her out more)

so yeah. (whoo! sorry for the novel) but that's my minor dilemma. help please?