Does Your Dog Have a Weird Habit? Embark Wants to Put One Pup on a Times Square Billboard

Some dogs chase their tails. Others sleep in bathtubs, howl at Halloween decorations or develop oddly specific bathroom preferences. If your dog has a habit that makes you wonder what on earth is going on in that furry little head, Embark wants to hear about it — and the prize for being especially weird could be a spot on a Times Square billboard.

Dog owners across Nevada have a chance to enter Embark’s World’s Weirdest Dog Contest, which invites participants throughout the United States to share photos or videos of their pups doing what they do best: being unapologetically strange. Entries are open through November 15th, and the public gets to help decide which canine quirk deserves the crown.

For Las Vegas dog lovers who have ever tried to explain their pet’s baffling behavior to someone who doesn’t live with them, this contest offers a chance to turn those everyday oddities into a little internet fame.

The Weirder the Habit, the Better

Embark’s contest is built around a simple premise: every dog has a weird side, and no two dogs express it quite the same way. Maybe your pup insists on carrying a particular toy everywhere, has a very specific routine before settling down for a nap, or treats an ordinary household object like a lifelong nemesis.

The company’s own examples include dogs befriending a neighbor’s enormous Halloween skeleton and refusing to poop anywhere except manhole covers. Those are some pretty specific quirks — and exactly the kind of stories the contest is looking for.

The goal isn’t to find the most talented dog or the one with the most impressive tricks. It’s to celebrate the wonderfully peculiar habits that make each dog unmistakably themselves.

What Can Your Dog Win?

The top prize comes with bragging rights, a little shopping money and a very public moment in the spotlight.

• First place: A feature on a Times Square billboard, a $200 gift card and an Embark Breed + Health Dog DNA Test with the Behavior Insights & Training upgrade.
• Second through fifth place: Each winner receives a $150 gift card and the same Embark DNA test with the Behavior Insights & Training upgrade.
• Sixth through 15th place: Each winner receives an Embark Breed + Health Dog DNA Test with the Behavior Insights & Training upgrade.

For the grand-prize winner, the billboard feature takes a dog’s unusual habit from the living room — or backyard, bathtub or neighborhood sidewalk — all the way to one of New York City’s most recognizable advertising destinations.

How to Enter the World’s Weirdest Dog Contest

Entering starts with a photo or video that captures your dog in the act of being gloriously weird. Upload the image or clip, explain the story behind the behavior, and submit the entry through the official contest page.

Once submitted, the entry appears on a public voting page. Anyone can vote, whether they have a dog of their own or simply appreciate a canine with an unusual hobby. Contestants can share their voting links with friends, family and social media followers to help their dogs climb the rankings.

Entries close November 15th. The contest is open to U.S. residents age 18 and older; additional eligibility requirements and complete rules are available through the official entry page.

Ready to put your dog’s most inexplicable habit to good use? Enter the World’s Weirdest Dog Contest, or browse the gallery and vote for a favorite.

A Little Science Behind Those Quirks

Embark is known for canine DNA testing, which helps dog owners learn more about their pets’ breed ancestry and genetic health. Its Breed + Health test is designed to provide information about a dog’s genetic background and potential health risks, while the Behavior Insights & Training upgrade adds insights related to behavioral tendencies and training.

That makes the prize more than a novelty for the winning dogs and their people. For owners curious about what makes their pups tick, it also offers an opportunity to learn more about the genetics behind their canine companions.

Of course, no DNA test can explain every oddball habit. Some of a dog’s most memorable behaviors may be shaped by experience, routine and individual personality — which is part of what makes living with dogs so entertaining.

For now, though, the contest has one important question for dog owners in Nevada and everywhere else: What is the strangest thing your dog does, and can you capture it on camera?

Because somewhere out there, a dog is probably doing something even weirder than yours. And the internet gets to decide which one deserves a billboard.