In regard to that split end look, remember not to brush him "dry". Spray a good dog leave-in conditioner on him before brushing. In regard to color, they are all different. You will probably notice his head changing first. Part his hair on his head and see if you see new growth that is kind of nubby. The color change kind of sneeks up on you. You'll notice it on his back right down the middle secondly. I think you may find that people will say that their Yorkies color change takes years. A lot of them tend to get lighter as they get older. I love the saying someone on here once posted....."A Yorkie is like a box of chocolates".....SO TRUE
