First, have the right aides.
The easiest and fasted way to save as much coat as possible and to restore the hair to optimum condition is to use a tangle removing product along with de-matting tool (comb or gentle rake)
Detangling Products:
There are several top-rated products that you can choose from... Some that we recommend are: John Paul Pet Detanglng Spray, “The Stuff” Conditioner and Detangler or Tropiclean D-Mat Tangle Remover. These have gentle conditioning oils to add body, help repair damage that is caused by the matting and help to reduce further knotting problems.
Tools:
For slight to moderate tangling, we like the “Tan Comb Dog” Untangler (a simple yet smart grooming tool, which works very well for small minor to moderate tangles. For moderate to severe tangling, the Untangler Mini Rake and the Untangler Super Groom Tool work very well.
One thing that you must remember is that despite the names of all of these products, they are not "magic" in a bottle. They do help, but removing mats is often a tedious job and will depend just as much on your hands as the products themselves.