Hey all, I'm newly single after basically a decade of being in two LTRs. I'm also raising a puppy.

I live in a nice neighborhood; plenty of other dogs, interesting people and beautiful women. It seems like the perfect setting to meet people, but I'm always at a loss for how to escalate beyond "oh what a cute puppy". I'm no PUA and have never put any effort towards that skillset, but I'm usually interesting, funny, and try to make lots of eye contact. I'm decent-looking (probably a 7/8 when I put in some effort). Often ladies will stop for several minutes and we'll talk, but I just can't identify an opening to shift the conversation in a way that would naturally segue into me stating interest/asking for her number.

It's awkward for two reasons: 1) the girl approaches me, so I'm not the instigator, and 2) the main focus and reason for the interaction is the puppy. How can I shift the focus back to me, and gain control/momentum in the conversation after the typical "what breed? how old? Omg omg he's so cute!". If she has a dog, I'll ask about it and go from there, but that's not sexy.

Tomorrow, I'm likely going to go back to the coffee shop where today we met 3 girls that I got along with really well. They said they lived next door and I said I hoped to see them soon. I'd love to somehow turn that into a number or at least some flirting, but it's even harder when there's more than one.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts!