Get a pet. Being a dog owner may signal that a man is nurturing and capable of making long-term commitments. It can also make someone appear more approachable.
In a 2014 experiment, 100 Israeli women read vignettes about men. Some of the men were described as “cads”: they would cheat on their partner and get into fights. The other men were described as stereotypical “dads”: they would work hard at their job and take good care of their kids.
Whenever the story featured a cad who owned a dog, women rated that man as a more suitable long-term partner than a cad who didn’t own a dog. Cads with dogs were even rated slightly more attractive than dads with dogs.
