People use music to set moods, create a desired atmosphere and evoke memories of family and friends. The right song at the right time can have similar effects for some dogs.
Pet owners, trainers and animal shelter workers sometimes use music as a training tool, a distraction from triggers and to create a relaxing environment for dogs kept in kennels or left alone at home. But researchers say music is context-dependent, meaning the effects vary based on dogs' temperament, the setting, the type of tune and the volume at which it's played.
Social media videos of dogs howling to music, relaxing to the sounds of specialty playlists or TV channels while their owners are at work, appearing to clam down while boarded, and getting exposed to the same song to assist with crate training show some of the ways music is integrated into pets' lives.
While some trainers consider music to be a helpful, many animal behaviorists, who study animal psychology and understand complex behaviors, suggest additional research is needed to prove how much of an effect music has on dogs and in what situations. Here is how experts suggest making music a potentially paw-sitive experience:
Many factors cause dogs to experience stress and anxiety, and there are as many behavioral responses. Dog behavior specialists and veterinarians say separation anxiety, noise phobias and other fears are common sources of stress and can exacerbate negative behaviors like aggression, submissive peeing or barking, or medical conditions that may a professional diagnosis or medication.
“Music may promote more relaxation for dogs, but it would not be the first thing I turn to if I want to reduce stress in dogs,” said Seana Dowling-Guyer, a lecturer at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and associate director of a research program aimed at improving the lives of dogs in shelters or at risk of being given up by their owners.
Prior to her work at Tufts, Dowling-Guyer worked with shelter animals. The goal was to find them homes, but she noticed that dogs barking, jumping or getting excited in their enclosures sometimes “put off potential adopters.” The shelter staff tried to create a calmer environment playing music. Worker debates over the type of music to play is what led Dowling-Guyer to further research on the subject.
“I was interested in the practical application, not just for owners, but for veterinary offices, groomers or other situations where dogs were sometimes stressed or mildly uncomfortable,” she said, adding that music is not meant to be or should be considered a cure for anxious behaviors or conditions or be considered a replacement for more formalized training.
High Country Humane, an animal shelter in Flagstaff, Arizona, plays classical and instrumental music on the kennel floors.
“It’s really stressful here, and the classical music seems to help calm the dogs down,” shelter manager Megan Boyer said. “Everybody is a little bit less amped up. It's a stress reliever for the dogs.”
Dog music compilations typically include elements of the music that's designed to help humans relax or sleep but takes into account biological differences in how dogs hear and process sound.
“Dog-calming music is simplified classical music. It's slow, repetitive, has a predictable structure and gentle notes. In an unpredictable environment, any kind of predictability using sounds could be soothing to an animal,” said Aniruddh Patel, a Tufts University psychology professor who studies music cognition in humans and other species.
But not all dogs like classical music or exhibit the same behaviors when exposed to similar genres, experts say. Lori Kogan, a Colorado State University professor who studies human-animal interactions, says “dogs tend to habituate to what they are used to” as opposed to innately preferring some types of music over others.
Citing similar human curiosity about the musical preferences of cows, Kogan said, “I don’t think cows are born liking country music. What’s happened is that the people they interact with play country music, and the animals have come to associate that music with positive things.”
Many pet owners leave a TV on or music playing when they go out to stimulate or distract their dogs while they're gone, Dowling-Guyer said. She recommends switching up the playlist or programming so pets do not get bored or come to associate a negative event, like their owners leaving, with a specific song.
Tawny Keiser, a 46-year-old family practice manager in the San Diego area, says a dog television channel on YouTube has become a fun diversion for Margarita, her 10-year-old pug who suffers from separation anxiety.
“She recognizes the television and will sit and watch it. She's engaged, and often gets really excited and jumps off the couch to sniff the screen,” Keiser said, adding that Margarita also loves dog cartoons that feature background music.
Paying attention to how a family pet reacts when you turn on home speakers can provide useful information. It's important to watch for signs of discomfort, like lip-licking or panting, to determine if a dog doesn't like the sounds, Dowling-Guyer said.
Otherwise, there is no harm in playing music for a pet, experts said. Don't be discouraged if your dog doesn't seem to engage with it, Dowling-Guyer said.
She also wants dog owners to be wary of trainers who say music is a solution for behavior concerns, saying “that is usually a red flag.”
The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, a certifying board for specialist veterinarians, says pet owners may encounter services or advice that can inflict lasting physical and emotional damage on pets if certain training techniques are improperly applied. Experts suggest seeking trainers with the proper licensing, advanced degrees such as a doctor of veterinary medicine, or certification to address animal behavior, which can come from recognized organizations like the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists or the Animal Behavior Society.
FILE - Dogs are seen at the New Leash On Life animal shelter, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - An Afghan hound sleeps with a plush toy during the world dog show in Salzburg, Austria, on Friday, May 18, 2012. More than 30.000 dogs are expected to take part at the exhibition in Salzburg. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson, File)
FILE - A little Jack Russell Terrier sleeps with a plush toy during the world dog show in Salzburg, Austria, on Friday, May 18, 2012. More than 30.000 dogs are expected to take part at the exhibition in Salzburg. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are drinking more coffee than they have in decades. But fewer of them are getting it from Starbucks.
The company that revolutionized the United States' coffee culture remains America's biggest player, with nearly 17,000 U.S. stores and plans to open hundreds more. But it's facing unprecedented competition, which will make it harder to win back the customers it already lost.
Starbucks’ share of spending at all U.S. coffee shops fell in 2024 and 2025; it now stands at 48%, down from 52% in 2023, according to Technomic, a food industry consulting firm. Dunkin ', a perennial rival that just opened its 10,000th U.S. store, gained market share in both of those years.
Starbucks has other challengers, like the fast-growing drive-thru chains 7 Brew, Scooter’s Coffee and Dutch Bros. Chinese chains like Luckin Coffee and Mixue are opening U.S. stores. High-end coffee shop Blue Bottle, which has 78 U.S. stores, has opened two more since the start of the year. Even McDonald’s and Taco Bell are bolstering their beverage offerings.
“People haven’t fallen out of love with Starbucks, but they’re now polyamorous in their coffee choices,” said Chris Kayes, chair of the management department in the George Washington University School of Business. “People are now experimenting with other coffees, and they’re seeing what’s out there.”
Americans love coffee. In both 2024 and 2025, an estimated 66% of Americans reported drinking coffee every day, up 7% from 2020, according to the National Coffee Association, an industry trade group.
Coffee chains are racing to cash in on that demand. The number of chain coffee stores in the U.S. jumped 19% to more than 34,500 over the last six years, according to Technomic, a consulting firm that researches the foodservice industry.
Seattle-based Starbucks was a small, regional chain when former CEO Howard Schultz acquired it in 1987. Now, other small chains are seeing explosive growth. Nebraska-based Scooter’s Coffee had 200 locations in 2019; it now has more than 850. Arkansas-based 7 Brew, which had 14 locations in 2019, now has more than 600.
“There’s too much supply relative to demand,” said Neil Saunders, a managing director and retail analyst at consulting firm GlobalData Retail
Saunders said Starbucks' size is somewhat of a disadvantage, since it has less ability to grow sales by opening new locations.
“Honestly, they’re pretty saturated,” Saunders said. “They’re a very mature business.”
Starbucks is undaunted. At a conference for investors on Thursday, the company said an ongoing effort to improve service while making stores warmer and more welcoming was boosting U.S. store traffic. It plans to add 25,000 seats to its U.S. cafes by this fall.
“Growth doesn’t require us to become something new. It requires us to be exceptionally good at what we already are,” Starbucks Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said.
Starbucks expects to open more than 575 new U.S. stores over the next three years. It developed a smaller-format store that is cheaper to build but still has indoor seating, drive-thru lanes and mobile pickup. The company said the reduced scale would allow Starbucks stores to operate in locations they couldn't before.
Starbucks is also adding new products, like updated pastries and snackable foods that are high in protein and fiber, to try to win back customers.
Lack of menu innovation is one reason Starbucks has struggled, especially among younger consumers who like novelty and will try new places to find it, Saunders said.
Arizona-based Dutch Bros, for example, added protein coffee drinks in January 2024, nearly two years before Starbucks did. Energy drinks make up 25% of Dutch Bros' business almost 14 years after the chain introduced them. Starbucks offered iced energy drinks for a limited time in 2024; executives said Thursday that customizable energy drinks would appear on the Starbucks menu soon.
Dutch Bros, which is led by former Starbucks executive Christine Barone, has just over 1,000 shops in the U.S. and hopes to double that number by 2029. It's betting that customers want speed and convenience; nearly all of its stores are drive-thrus with walk-up windows.
Dutch Bros also focuses on value. In a recent meeting with investors, Barone pointed out that Dutch Bros’ medium drinks are 24 ounces; at Starbucks, a medium drink is 16 ounces.
Luckin, whose app brims with coupons and promotions, is also value-oriented. On a recent afternoon, one of its nine New York stores buzzed with customers picking up mobile orders. The tiny shop had no seating.
Xunyi Xie, who was visiting New York from his home in Delaware, said he stopped by to try a Velvet Latte because Luckin had a $1.99 drink promotion. Xie said he normally brews his own espresso, but if Luckin opened a store that was on his way to work, he would go there.
As for Starbucks? “I think it's overpriced,” Xie said.
In 2024, the average customer spent $9.34 at Starbucks, compared to $8.44 at Dutch Bros and $4.68 at Dunkin', according to an analysis by the investment research company Morningstar.
Starbucks didn't raise prices in its 2025 fiscal year and has vowed to be judicious about future increases. But Ari Felhandler, an equity analyst with Morningstar, said it would be a mistake for Starbucks to try to win over customers with discounts because competitors will always go lower.
“Keep your prices the same and try to justify them,” Felhandler said. He thinks Starbucks' store redesigns and new menu items will bring back traffic.
Grams, Starbucks' chief operating officer, said the company firmly believes its best way forward is not drive-thru-only stores or mobile pickup kiosks. It's building cafes with comfortable seating — the “soul of Starbucks,” as he put it — that also serve mobile, drive-thru and delivery customers. Customers sometimes want something convenient, and they sometimes want to dwell, he said.
“There’s always going to be competition. We’re aware of it, we keep an eye on it for sure, but we don’t try to be them," Grams told The Associated Press. "We offer something that most people don’t, which is a legitimate space to sit down, enjoy and use it for a variety of different reasons.”
But Kayes, of George Washington University, wonders if that strategy will be enough to keep Starbucks on top, or if customers who want a cozy or premium experience have already moved on to independent coffee shops or upscale chains like Blue Bottle.
“In some ways, I think they are a victim of their own success,” Kayes said. “I do think that the aura of Starbucks as being something special and unique and exciting isn’t there anymore.”
Employees work in a Luckin Coffee store in New York, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Pedestrians pass a Luckin Coffee store in New York, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Signage displays in the window and a cup sits on the counter of a Luckin Coffee store in New York, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A Ristretto model of future Starbucks stores is displayed during the Starbucks Investor Day event, in New York, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams speaks during the Starbucks Investor Day event, with an image of the company's Mastrena 3 espresso machine, in New York, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
