Four obvious red flags that someone is 'dogfishing' you as new dating trend takes over Gen Z

By now, most of us are familiar with the concept of catfishing - creating a fake online identity to deceive potential love interests into thinking they look a certain way.

Apparently, however, there's a new variation of this dating con said to be even more dangerous. Known as 'dogfishing', relationship experts say this controversial trend goes one step further than a person uploading photographs of someone else to their dating profile, or using an AI-generated image to dupe a lonely heart into falling in love.

And - as if navigating modern-day single life isn't hard enough - there are actually two different variations of this con.

Lucky, though, aware of the increased use of 'dogfishing' among members of the Gen Z community (individuals born between 1997 and 2007, and are therefore between 18 and 28 years of age), several experts have offered advice on the 'red flags' to look out for about this behaviour.

Before we get into those, however, let's check out the two definitions of 'dogfishing'.

The trend is supposedly common amongst Gen Z daters (Getty Stock Image)

What is 'dogfishing'?

As we say, 'dogfishing' is believed to be a two-faced phenomenon.

Definition 1

Firstly, it's said to be about manipulation. Offering up their expertise, one TikTok influencer recently claimed that the trend is 'way more insidious' than its feline equivalent.

Going by the username @its_mikki_bish, the content creator went on: "It's about them not pretending what they look like, but more about a false set of values - a false set, or an exaggeration of values to gain control over you and manipulate you.

"So that they can create this fantasy version of who you think they are, so they can get exactly what they want from you."

Now, I know what you're thinking - what has this got to do with dogs?

Well, this falls into the second, arguably more common definition of 'dogfishing'.

The trend was previously successful, apparently (Getty Stock Image)

Definition 2

According to The Tab - possibly in a bid to manipulate their potential love interest, as suggested above - more and more dating app users are including photos of themselves posing alongside a canine companion in a bid to reel in romance.

The crazy thing is, however, in many of these cases, the lover later discovered that it wasn't the perpetrator's dog at all. It had been 'borrowed' as a means of creating the impression that they're the dog person, and that, therefore, they boast the common qualities of a dog owner.

You know, qualities like responsibility, empathy, patience, consistency, and commitment?

"This is when a man posts a picture of a dog on his profile," a second TikToker, @hay.nae, recently warned. "And you find out that it's not his dog. He just like, borrowed a friend's dog for the picture. Ew."

Apparently, using a pal's furry friend as a prop previously boasted high success rates, especially in male daters.

The dog in their profile might not be their own (Getty Stock Image)

Users with dog mentions have a higher probability of initial conversation over those with cat mentions," OkCupid's global communications manager, Michael Kaye, explained.

A Tinder spokesperson also agreed: "Users typically respond to photos that include animals or traveling shots."

The issue for these clever individuals is, however, that more and more women are catching onto the con, seeing it as forming part of a 'performative male persona'.

Summing this up, one woman recently told Cosmopolitan: "Daters are more likely to be on the hunt for red flags these days than they are to be wooed by a boy and his dog."

In agreement, another Reddit user claimed she now sees this dating profile addition as an 'instant swipe left', describing the trend as 'so annoying' and confessing: "I don’t care how well we match up."

There are said to be several dogfishing giveaways (Getty Stock Image)

How to tell if someone is a 'dogfisher'?

As we say, however, for anyone reading this who considers themselves rather unlucky in love, who wouldn't know a red flag if it smacked them in the face, we've gathered four hints to look out for, that supposedly give away that someone is 'dogfishing' you.

1) Disappearing dogs

Has your potential love interest featured their four-legged friend in their very first picture? Does the dog fail to show up again in any subsequent snaps - even in the background? Are dog-related toys, accessories or outfits missing from the backgrounds of their other pics?

If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, well, I hate to break it to you, but you might be being 'dogfished'.

2) Elusive about their pup

Do they give pretty general answers when you ask about their dog, like their favourite walking spots, their meal-time routine, they're temperament around kids? Anyone who actually owns a dog will find any excuse to bring up their animal buddy in conversation, so it'd be pretty odd if they didn't.

3) Inconsistencies within the rest of their profile

Have they got key descriptions like 'World Traveller' and 'Party Person' in their profile? Apparently, this is another form of red flag, with having a dog often meaning dates at home, early morning walks or outdoor meet-ups.

4) No dog references on other profiles

Is the dog absent from their Instagram account? Do they fail to appear in their TikTok content? If so, you already know what I'm going to suggest... sorry!