Spice level
fine with coworkers and new acquaintances.
Quick Answer
Echar los perros means to flirt intensely or make obvious, persistent moves on someone.
- It's casual and common among friends, used to describe your own moves or someone else's — usually with some humor.
- The phrase is playful when the other person is into it; it gets uncomfortable when they're clearly not.
What it means
Echar los perros describes the full-commitment version of flirting — not a glance across the room, but sustained attention, little favors, leaning in, making it obvious. The kind of flirting where everyone around you already knows what you're doing before you do.
It can be used admiringly ('she really went for it'), as a confession ('I was totally laying it on thick last night'), or as gentle teasing between friends watching someone crash and burn at the cantina.
Literal meaning
Literally: to unleash the dogs. The image is of releasing hounds in pursuit — once they're loose, they're fully committed, chasing hard, and not stopping until they catch their target.
In Mexican slang the phrase transferred that energy to romantic pursuit. The 'dogs' are your charm, your attention, your persistence — and echar means to set them free, all at once.
How Mexicans use it
In conversation it usually shows up in the past tense ('le eché los perros' — I made my move) or as a command between friends ('¡échale los perros ya!' — just go for it already). It's natural at parties, cantinas, or anywhere the gossip after a night out happens.
On WhatsApp it's common in the debrief message — 'güey, le eché los perros toda la noche' — usually followed by whether it worked. The phrase travels well in text because it's punchy and self-aware. Everyone knows exactly what you mean.
Outside CDMX the phrase is understood across Mexico, though you might hear tirar la onda more in Guadalajara and some northern cities for the same idea. In Mexican-American communities the phrase shows up too, usually with the same humorous self-awareness.
Examples
- Le eché los perros toda la noche y al final me dio su número.I laid it on thick all night and she finally gave me her number.
- ¿Ya le vas a echar los perros o qué? Lleva rato esperándote.Are you going to make your move or what? He's been waiting around.
- Mi prima le echó los perros al mesero y el tipo ni se dio cuenta.My cousin was all over the waiter and the guy didn't even notice.
- Güey, ese wey te está echando los perros desde que llegaste.Dude, that guy has been making moves on you since you got here.
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
The most common mistake is treating this phrase as equivalent to 'flirting a little.' It's not subtle — echar los perros implies visible, committed effort. Using it to describe a mild smile or a compliment will get you a confused look or a correction from your Mexican friends.
The other mistake is dropping the indirect object pronoun. In Spanish the phrase almost always runs: 'le eché los perros' (I went for them), 'le estás echando los perros' (you're going for them), 'échale los perros' (go for it). The 'le' is load-bearing — it tells you who the target is. Without it the phrase sounds unfinished.
Don't sound gringo
the key word is commitment. not a flirty comment - the sustained, visible campaign.
You get them a drink, you stay close, you make it obvious. Think of it as going full send on somebody.
It works best confessing your own moves - le eché los perros toda la noche - or narrating a friend's pursuit. Describing somebody's unwanted attention with it lands differently, so do not.
Where you'll hear it
- at a cantina in Centro when your friend has been talking to the bartender for 40 minutes straight and you finally lean over and say 'güey, le estás echando los perros'
- at a Condesa house party when someone spots their crush across the room and starts making their way over — their friends are already whispering 'ahí va, ya le va a echar los perros'
- WhatsApp at midnight — your friend sends five voice messages about the person they just met at a mezcal bar, and you reply 'ya échale los perros de una vez'
- brunch in Roma Norte, recapping the weekend: 'le eché los perros toda la noche y ni me peló' — said with a shrug and a laugh
- when you use it about someone who was visibly uncomfortable with the attention and your friends go quiet — that's the version where it stops being funny
FAQ
What does 'echar los perros' mean in Mexican Spanish?
Echar los perros means to flirt hard or make obvious, committed moves on someone. It describes sustained, visible pursuit — not a subtle hint, but full-effort attention that everyone around you can see.
Is 'echar los perros' rude?
Not inherently — it's a casual, playful expression among friends. It gets uncomfortable when used to describe someone who clearly wasn't welcoming the attention, which shifts the tone from funny to creepy.
What's the difference between 'echar los perros' and 'tirar la onda'?
Tirar la onda is the softer version — sending a vibe, testing the waters, a hint. Echar los perros is the full send: committed, obvious, and sustained. If tirar la onda is a text, echar los perros is showing up in person.
How do you use 'echar los perros' in a sentence?
Use it with an indirect object pronoun: 'le eché los perros' (I made my move on them), 'le está echando los perros' (he/she is going for it), or as a command: 'échale los perros ya' (just go for it already).
Can a woman 'echar los perros'?
Yes, completely. The phrase isn't gendered — anyone can echar los perros, and it's used the same way regardless of who's doing the pursuing.
What does 'ni me peló' mean after 'le eché los perros'?
Ni me peló means they didn't even acknowledge you — complete indifference. It's the worst possible outcome after going all-in, and it usually lands with some dark humor in the debrief.
Is 'echar los perros' used in texting?
Yes — it shows up constantly in the post-night debrief on WhatsApp: 'le eché los perros toda la noche' is a standard message after a party. Short, punchy, and everyone knows exactly what you mean.
Don't confuse with
- tirar la ondaTirar la onda is subtler — a hint, a vibe, testing the waters. Echar los perros is the full send: obvious, committed, everyone can see it.
- ligarLigar means to hook up or successfully pull someone. Echar los perros is the effort — ligar is if it worked.
- coquetearCoquetear is the textbook word for flirting — softer, more neutral. Echar los perros is specifically the aggressive, committed pursuit version.
Related words
Test yourself
tap an answer.
What does 'echarle los perros' mean?
You're at a party and your friend has been talking to the same person for an hour, laughing at everything they say, getting them drinks. What's the right word for what your friend is doing?
Your friend texts you: 'le eché los perros toda la noche y ni me peló.' What happened?
The one thing
echar los perros is going full pursuit on someone — obvious, committed, and completely visible to everyone in the room.
Sources
- PressConoce el origen de la popular frase echar los perrosEl Heraldo de MéxicoThe bullfighting origin - dogs released on a bull that would not charge - and how it became flirting.
- PressTírale los perros: ¿de dónde viene esta famosa frase referida a la seducción?La NaciónThe same account, plus how the phrase varies across the region.
- ContextQué significa echar los perrosMagikitosOn the commitment the phrase implies, which is what separates it from a hint.
- PressEl español, una lengua rica en el arte del ligoteoArchiletrasA survey of Spanish flirting vocabulary, useful for where the Mexican ones sit.
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