Thursday, February 20, 2025, 6:29AM |  13°
MENU
Advertisement
Amy Leigh in her shop in Central Pennsylvania. On her YouTube channel, the grommer offers tips and techniques for many dog breeds.
5
MORE

YouTube channel shows how to groom your dog yourself

Amy Leigh

YouTube channel shows how to groom your dog yourself

Dog groomers are not considered life-sustaining businesses and have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. That means many dogs that are regularly buffed and fluffed by a professional are missing their scheduled appointments. 

Fear not. Sheltering at home does not mean your canine partner needs to be neglected. Now is the time to learn a few skills and pick up the slack for your groomer, who is sure to be booked once the virus abates. But where to learn? Look no further than YouTube.   

In November, I adopted a 5-year-old Pekingese from They Deserve Better, a small rescue in Smithfield, Fayette County. Marvin, came with his name, one eye and a coat that was a hot mess, having been severely neglected by his previous owner. 

Advertisement

The rescue cleaned him up, and shaved the worst of it, but I realized early on that I would have to learn to work on him myself or shell out big bucks at the groomer. So I got on the internet and started watching videos, lots of them. Most included demonstrations, but the information was incomplete, especially for someone who had no experience with long-haired breeds.

Then I came across Go Groomer, Amy Leigh’s YouTube channel. Want to learn how to properly wash or brush your dog? Confused by the clippers for sale in pet stores?  Want to get that undercoat off your dog to reduce shedding?

She has videos covering all those subjects in depth. Even if you never aspire to trim your own pet, the information she relates can be a real game changer when it comes to pet maintenance. And darned if she doesn’t sound like she’s from Pennsylvania.     

Advertisement

Turns out she is. This professional groomer from Richland, Lebanon County, gives up all the tricks of the trade, as well as lots of recommendations on products and tools. She also helps with short-coated breeds, two of which reside in my house. Our pug, Wanda, and a Brussels Griffon, Jiffy, have also benefited from Ms. Leigh’s tutoring. Questions? Ms. Leigh answers emails promptly.

Ms. Leigh has been grooming dogs since 2002, when she lost her job in the printing industry and began seeking a new career path.  Drawn to animals and already the owner of a dog that she regularly took to a groomer, she became interested in grooming as a career.

“I realized I was ... finding very little direction and options to get started in this (grooming) industry,” she says.  “These secrets simply were not shared, and pet grooming was not showcased as a winning career choice.” 

At the time grooming schools were few and far between, and she ended up taking a correspondence course. Then she apprenticed with a local groomer, working for free, to get hands-on experience,

“To this day I continue my education,” she says.   

In her videos, Ms. Leigh’s expertise and cheerful personality shine through. She says the average career span of a dog groomer is 10 years.  Now 47, Ms. Leigh has limited the number and size of the clients she takes due to the physical toll of the job. She decided to start her YouTube channel in 2018.

“Becoming a video influencer and content creator has given (me) the freedom to reach and connect with people all over the world.”   

She gets paid for her channel via Google AdSense, making about $10 per 1,000 views. “Currently my views range around 30,000 per month, which totals about $200 or less per month after YouTube takes their 30%.” 

She was able to partner with YouTube as a monetized channel once she reached 1,000 subscribers, which happened in May 2019.  She is also an Amazon affiliate, which means she gets a very small commission for products whose links are in her videos. Her grooming business still pays the bills.

And contrary to what you might think, professional groomers have been supportive, she says.

“Most groomers book up within the first year of starting their career. There is more than enough work to go around. My YouTube channel poses no threat to the industry.” 

Doing proper coat maintenance at home between appointments reduces the work a professional needs to do.  It also reduces stress on the dog and lightens the load on your pocketbook.   Before she had to close due to the virus, my local groomer, who is booking months out, asked for Ms. Leigh’s web address so she could refer clients there when they have grooming questions.  She saw the before and after results I achieved with Marvin.

Ms. Leigh currently has two collaborations with manufacturers — the Prima bathing system and Absorber Towel. She is quick to add that if she won’t use a product on her own clients, she won’t recommend it.  

Her subscriber count is over 3,000 and increasing by about 100 followers per day, she says. That is considered a small channel.  So why do all this work?

“My channel is quickly growing so those numbers will continue to change. I am very grateful for the opportunity YouTube offers me as a creator, and the platform they provide free of charge to share my message.”  

A more immediate reward is “all the emails, comments and sentiments I receive daily.”

Count Marvin among her success stories. To date I’ve invested between $250 and $300 in tools and products. I have a small grooming table, a good pair of clippers, several pairs of good scissors for Marvin’s coat type, metal combs, professional shampoo and conditioner, a Kenchii slicker, a Madan pin and other kinds of brushes, and an Absorber towel, which I could not live without. 

Marvin and I have a weekly date on the grooming bench in addition to thorough brushings every couple of days.  It helps that Marvin loves to be groomed.  His coat, which was abundant to begin with, is coming back in, and is surprisingly easy to care for if we stick with the routine Ms. Leigh helped create.  He’s no longer messy Marvin.

Home grooming tips

• Research the proper skin and coat care requirements for your dog breed. A great place to get information is AKC.org. If you have a mixed breed, research the breeds you know and identify which coat type matches your pet.  

• Obtain the correct tools and equipment. If you are unsure what you need or are confused by what’s available, check out the Go Groomer YouTube channel. Ms. Leigh answers emails at yourgotogroomer@gmail.com.

• Create a grooming schedule that fits the breed standard and stick to it.

• If you need a professional, view the relationship as a partnership. Keep your dog brushed between appointments, establish a regular schedule for appointments in advance and keep them. 

Susan Banks: sbanks@post-gazette.com. 

First Published: April 6, 2020, 12:00 p.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Penguins hall of fame broadcaster Mike Lange works the play-by-play during the Alumni game at Heinz Field on Dec. 31, 2010.
1
sports
Mike Lange, longtime Penguins broadcaster, dies at 76
Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange during a press conference at Consol Energy Center.
2
sports
Jason Mackey: What Mike Lange meant to me, and why we must carry on his incredible legacy
Allegheny Hospital Network's first baby of 2025, Luka Gold Cunningham, was born at 12:45 a.m. New Year's Day at AHN Wexford Hospital. He wouldn't have made the top baby names for 2024 but, for 2025, who knows?
3
news
AHN reveals its top baby names of 2024
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (95) celebrates an interception against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in the Northshore. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 27-14.
4
sports
Gerry Dulac's Steelers chat transcript: 02.19.25
Gov. Josh Shapiro has nominated a former Beaver County superintendent to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
5
news
Former Beaver County superintendent tapped by Shapiro to lead Pennsylvania Department of Education
Amy Leigh in her shop in Central Pennsylvania. On her YouTube channel, the grommer offers tips and techniques for many dog breeds.  (Amy Leigh)
Amy Leigh placed third in her class at a grooming competition in 2008 for her work on Ike, a standard poodle.  (Amy Leigh)
Marvin the Pekingese in November 2019, when Susan Banks adopted him from They Deserve Better rescue. His coat was not in good shape due to neglect by the previous owner.  (They Deserve Better)
Marvin's coat looked much better 4 months after his adoption, thanks to good nutrition and a coat care regimen developed with advice from Amy Leigh of Go Groomer.  (Susan Banks/Post-Gazette)
Marvin's coat looked much better 4 months after his adoption, thanks to good nutrition and a coat care regimen developed with advice from Amy Leigh of Go Groomer.  (Susan Banks/Post-Gazette)
Amy Leigh
Advertisement
LATEST pets
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story