The answer depends on what kind of grooming you are you planning to do, what is the condition of the coat and what breed of dog it is. Generally, in most cases, you need to do preparation work before giving a bath to your dog. Once, the dog is clean and dried completely, the groomer can finish the rest of the services included in grooming.

It depends on the groomer, whether they bathe a dog before grooming or not. Some groomers will clip and thoroughly brush out a dog before giving a bath and washing them. The dog groomers use this approach as it will prevent damaging the grooming equipment and might bring a better finish. Although this approach of groomers is more tedious. 

Another approach used by groomers is that they will bathe a dog before grooming except if they are extremely matted. The groomers usually find it easier to brush tangles and knots out of the clear coat. Moreover, the blow-dryer helps to loosen and lift the knots. The groomer should know when to groom the dog and should understand if a bath is required before or after grooming. Here are some situations which might give an insight as to how to groom a dog before and after a bath. 

When should you start the groom before bathing

  • If the coat is matted and needs to be clipped short.
  • If you want to keep the coat long doing a reasonable brush out first is recommended.
  • When there are mats in the coat that need to be removed. Washing a dog with mats will make the matting worst. The mats will absorb water and become tighter.
  • The coat is long and you want to take a fair amount off the length. This will save time when blow-drying them.
  • In the case of a double-coated breed that has excessive undercoat or matting.

When you can bathe dog first before grooming

  • The dog has been groomed reasonably recently and isn’t either long to start with.
  • For a double-coated dog with a minimal undercoat and no matting.
  • You brush your dog regularly and they have no tangles.