Abstract

The high abundance and free-ranging behavior of domestic dogs facilitate frequent interactions with wildlife through both lethal and non-lethal mechanisms, potentially altering wildlife space and time use. While previous studies have focused on habitat-scale effects, landscape-level occupancy impacts remain less explored. We investigated whether dog abundance and activity influence the spatial and temporal use of wild mammals at multiple scales across 253 sites nested within 57 landscapes in southern Chile. Dog metrics were estimated using N-mixture models and detection rates, while wild mammal responses were assessed using multi-scale occupancy and generalized linear models. Dog abundance increased with housing density and decreased with distance from houses. At the landscape scale, southern pudu (Pudu puda) occupancy declined with increasing dog activity, whereas space use at finer scales was driven by habitat variables. Chilla (Lycalopex griseus) and Darwin's foxes (Lycalopex fulvipes) responded mainly to habitat features; chillas were associated with human-modified areas and thus positively correlated with dogs, while Darwin's foxes were strongly associated with native forest. Guignas (Leopardus guigna) were present in all landscapes regardless of dog or habitat characteristics. Temporal overlap between pudus and dogs was lower than expected when co-occurring, while chilla foxes and guignas showed no temporal shifts. Our findings suggest that dog-wildlife interactions are shaped by human presence and habitat availability. Species like the southern pudu appear highly vulnerable to dog presence, whereas others, such as guignas and chillas, persist through behavioral adaptations. We highlight dog confinement as a critical conservation strategy for vulnerable species.