31M & Autistic: How can I tell if a woman is interested, or just being polite because of my dog?

I need some advice. I’m 31 and autistic, and I’m pretty blind to social cues. I’ve spent the last few years happily single, focusing on myself because I knew I wasn't in a place to be a good partner and didn't want to hurt anyone. Now that I am looking again, I’ve realized I’m completely clueless about how this works.

I’ve had women approach me on the beach with the usual, "Oh, he’s so cute, can I pet him?" Then they’ll start a conversation: "How old is he?" or "How did you train him so well?"

The thing is, they’re keeping eye contact with me for most of the conversation—only occasionally glancing down at the dog or looking at the surroundings so it’s not a constant stare. I always just assumed they were being friendly dog lovers. But then my friends—who saw it happen—will say, "Did you get her number? She was clearly into you!"

How do I tell the difference between "I love your dog" and "I’m interested in you"? Is there a specific question or signal I should look for that separates a friendly dog-chat from actual interest?

Disclaimer: I'm not great at grammar and tend to write walls of text, so I've used an AI assistant to help me tidy this up and make it more readable.