prep work

The first part is to decide if you want to pre-clip the dog or just start with the bath.
I usually don’t pre clip if it’s less than 3 months of hair growth -then it’s easier to just bath the dog first. 

You cant pre clip with an attachment comb -it will be stuck in the dirty coat. So pre-clipping is only doable with a blade and if you want to leave a longer coat you must wash and dry first. 
Pre clipping takes a huge toll on your blades as sand and dirt make it blunt. 

    The old saying was that you must brush out the dog completely first before washing it – or it will be even more matted after the bath. That is not completely true. It will be worse after bath if you don’t do anything to the coat after the bath. But it’s easier to brush out a clean coat -so that’s why we have moved from pre brushing to brushing the dog while we dry it instead. It’s better for the coat and it’s easier for the dog. 
 
This is why my bathing videos show dogs that are not brushed before the bath. 

The first video below will give you some insight into my thoughts about the prep work part and also some tips to make other things in the washing /drying process easier.