@doggie lover,
So, you want to build a relationship with him. I am guessing that you are both teenagers (correct me if I am wrong). Every relationship is different, but usually there is a flirting stage, then a time when you are both sure of mutual interest, and then some sort of relationship is established (I am old, but we used to call it "going steady").
It is hard to give specific advice without knowing either you or him. But I will try to offer some suggestions.
I think making it clear to him that you are interested in being more than friends is good thing. It will let you and he talk directly about your feelings rather than this game of trying to guess what the other person is thinking.
Simply saying to him "you know I like you... and I want to be more than friends" is one way to do this. It will give him a chance to tell you directly how he is really feeling about you. Some people will tell you that you should always let the boy make the first move. This depends a lot on how things are generally done where you live (i.e. your culture). But simply telling him how you feel doesn't stop this from happening. It may give this boy the confidence he needs to pursue this relationship.
The other option is to do the flirting game... which is less direct but sometimes more fun. You can make someone know about your interest without saying anything. One problem with this is that sometimes young people don't communicate well. No matter what you do, the poor boy might just never get it.
In my (many years of) experience. At any stage of a relationship things work better when there is good communication. He needs to know for sure that you have interest, and you also need to know what he is feeling.
I hope this is helpful.