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This tip is for groomers who are not using a bathing system. Those of you who do have a system may also find a nugget of knowledge here. 

The way I was trained to bath a dog was to pre-wet the dog then work in the dog shampoo a little at a time starting at the head working down toward the tail.  This costs time and can use a lot of dog shampoo.  Some areas get more dog shampoo than others and the dog shampoos can be difficult to rinse out. Soap residue in the coat can cause dandruff, itching and skin problems.

Here's my trick:  Mix a small amount of dog shampoo to a quart of water in a 1 quart squirt bottle.   Shake to mix and apply directly to the DRY coat.  Work the diluted dog shampoo into the coat with your hands (or a slicker brush for thicker coats.)  When you have covered the entire dog, rinse with clean water. 

Applying dog shampoo this way eliminates several basic problems. 

You never again wonder whether or not you cleansed the entire dog.  If the area is still dry, it wasn't bathed.
The dog shampoo spreads evenly throughout the coat.
The dog shampoo is much easier to rinse out.

This technique also saves you time by eliminating the extra step of pre-wetting the dog and they rinse much quicker. 

An ounce of dog shampoo to a quart of water is a good starting point although you may want to add more or less depending on the dilution rate of the dog shampoo.  You definitely want to dilute it 3 or 4 times lighter than the dog shampoos recommended dilution rate.  (This will not work for medicated dog shampoos, which may need to be used straight, and flea and tick dog shampoos that have a definite dilution rate for effectiveness.)  No matter what type of dog shampoo you use, also keep a diluted tearless dog shampoo bottle handy for the face.