I wash somewhere between 3-15 dogs a day/5 days a week for a living. For a groom quality bath it goes as follows for a normal healthy GSD.

1) Get dog wet.
2) Apply first shampoo (usually a general cheap tear free shampoo) over the entire dog from nose to butt. Lather up making note to soap every nook and cranny on that dog.
3) Rinse away lather, dirt, fleas, ick, etc. The purpose of the first shampooing is to remove the gross stuff.
4) Apply 2nd shampoo. This is your expensive enhancer shampoo, usually an oatmeal, darkening, milk bath, or whatever. You can use the same shampoo from the first application if you want. Depends on what the dog needs. Lather up and wait 5-10 minutes depending on the shampoo instructions.
5) Rinse well
6) Apply conditioner/remoisturizer
7)Loosely rinse off conditioner if it's extremely diluted or completely rinse if it's not diluted.
8) Towel dry dog until the dog doesn't drip.
9) Put on safety goggles and force dry dog. Watch the dander and the loose hair fly away. A hairy gsd can easily take 30 minutes or more to force dry to 95% dry.
10) kennel dry the remaining damp off.
11) Brush the dog, apply scents, clip nails, clean ears, shave pads, etc.

I woke up at 5am this morning with the thought running through my head that Tazer-Pup should be introduced to the bathtub BEFORE I clean my batroom today...coffee in hand(energy shot before I attempt this first time feat)I log on and find this current thread. We have had a stand up, very wet cloth rubs to get him used to the process but this should be a fun whole new thing for him...not sre about me though

Guys you are the best...but I am beginning to think this is a psychic web forum...LOL