I must agree with the last two posters: when I asked my groomer of choice when I needed to bring the pups in the first time, he told me to wait until they'd had all their shots. Even if they didn't need a true grooming session at that time, they would be introduced to the essentials: bathing, ear trimming, nails. And they wanted to know that it was the first time so they'd schedule EXTRA time. They feel that the first time sets the experience in the pup's mind, and they wanted it to be fun, playful - enjoyable - something that the pup enjoys instead of quivering in fear over.
Puddie has a thick cotton coat ... he gets trimmed like a round-headed teddy bear. Bella has a long, silky coat. They like doing her, because most folks keep their Yorkies in shorter styles, so they get to play with her hair.
I like the way they think: a pup should think that going to the shop is an enjoyable thing. They get massaged while all soapy ... they laughed when Puddie actually fell asleep on them
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THAT's the way a grooming experience should be!