I just took my little 5 month old to the groomer for her first visit. They said she did well, overall, but got a little crazy during her nail clipping. When she came home she seemed fine and appeared to have a good experience.
I know tons of people say to bathe a work frequently, but you really shouldn't give them too many baths. Once every four to six weeks, especially in the winter, is plenty. Their skin is delicate and we have to remember, they are dogs and like to smell like a dog, even if we don't always like it
A great book is "Inside a Dog", by Alexandra Horowitz, a Phd in Animal Behavior Science. She really gives some great insight into dogs and dog behavior, based on academic/scientific research, which most training programs are NOT based on. But, perhaps I'm partial to this type of thinking because I, too, am an academic. But it really helps give some perspective on dog ownership.