If you think you have a problem with your dog having an apparently insatiable demand for noise of his own making, you can obtain a free report on barking prevention here. No time to read the free report just now? Here are nine tips to stop barking dogs which will help you work towards a solution.

Firstly you need to identify the cause of your dog’s persistent barking. Excessive barking is usually related to an underlying issue. The cause is probably behavioral, which is fully explained here. Common examples of such underlying issues include territorial barking, possibly because of some external stimulus; attention seeking, barking due to some physical discomfort, barking through alarm or fear, and barking due to loneliness, boredom and inactivity.

Having identified a reason for your dog’s barking behavior, you will then need to seek out a remedy which will nullify the cause. Set out to apply a well-tried dog barking solution to your particular situation, but be prepared to make small amendments as you proceed with the training. Think of ways which will measure the progress of the solution you are working towards. Although the end result is to be able to attain some dog barking control, the frequency and consistency of a training method will vary according to the speed of progress.

Secondly, you should be aware from the start that any dog behavior modification training will take practice – and patience. It is important not to rush or be impatient with whichever method you choose as the best one for your circumstances. Does your dog seem happy? Is he treating it all as a game? You definitely don’t want him to be stressed out!

Begin with a simple exercise, introducing your dog slowly to the training technique. Then progressively spend slightly longer each time you act on the method, Above all it is vital that you carry it out consistently and regularly. Repetition is the key, just like parrot fashion education for humans.

Initially you may think that the method is not working at all. However, as is the case with so many things, just be persistent and keep at it until you begin to see the result that makes your efforts worthwhile. Keep each training session brief, and be prepared for it to take several weeks to reach your goal. You should find that it becomes easier as time passes and your dog grows used to his regular training. This is explained more fully in the book Help! My Dog Won’t Stop Barking.

Thirdly, you must never reward barking behavior. This is particularly important in puppyhood, which is also a good time to engender in your puppy some confidence in being alone. A puppy which is too strongly bonded to his owner will become a dog which will not be left alone without making an enormous fuss. He may grow up to be an anxious dog who will need some form of bark control.

Fourthly, don’t allow your dog to become bored. Barking through boredom is a common trait in many dogs, the working breeds in particular. Ensure that your dog doesn’t go short of exercise, and that he has plenty of toys to play with, especially when you are busy or need to leave him at home alone. Remember, bored dogs bark.

Fifthly, identify what your dog enjoys doing. Attract his attention to this enjoyable activity when he is barking.

He should recognize this as an alternative to barking which he will enjoy even more. Bear in mind of course that a dog’s bark is an instinctive response to his surroundings, and it is his natural form of expression. No owner should wish to contemplate their dog’s exuberant outgoing personality being negatively affected.

Sixthly, always be consistent in your training. Find a reliable ‘How To Stop Dogs Barking’ method, act upon it, and follow it through. For example, you should avoid confusing your dog by yelling at him to shut up on some occasions, then being patient when you are using one of the Stop Barking techniques. If your dog feels that he has gained your attention by barking, just as he wanted, then you will have been inconsistent by using negative reinforcement. Remember, you need to apply consistent reinforcement techniques in whatever training your dog has undertaken.

Seventhly, reward your dog when he is not barking, especially if he has just become quiet after a spell of barking. After all, if he understands that being quiet will bring its own reward, then what do you think he will choose to do? You will need to have some particularly tasty rewards handy, whatever your dog’s favorite treat is. Avoid giving him this treat on other occasions for the length of the training plan.

Eighthly, try to think like your dog! Put yourself in his paws. For example, think how you would be affected by whatever external stimuli may be causing him to bark. Then decide on a different way of doing things so that you – or your dog – will no longer be affected by it. Another example may be of a dog which barks a lot when he has been left alone and is quite likely to be an insecure dog. Why has my pack leader left me? Where have they gone? What are they doing without me? Your dog may be conditioned to expecting you to dote on his every whim, but he does need to learn how to be alone. Try to use some lateral thinking to circumvent your dog’s thought processes.

And finally, if you want a dog that won’t bark at all – get yourself a Basenji!

Don’t forget to download my free report Do You Want to Stop Your Dog Barking?

The latest generation of mini digital camcorders are perfect for the novice. Ultra-compact and portable, lacking in features for the sake of simplicity, these cameras are intended to fit in any pocket, and to shoot a video with the push of a single button.

The really small pocket-sized cameras (Flip Video or Muvi Micro, for example) do not set out to compete with the multi-featured high definition end of the market. Instead, they offer ease of use. The Muvi, for example, can be used entirely hands-free. Straight out of James Bond, it can be clipped onto your hat or bag, and the voice-activated recording feature allows it to start recording when it hears your voice. When all goes quiet, it switches itself off. Not only spies and private eyes prefer sneaky recording. Discreet mini camcorders such as these are perfect for capturing the moment.

A mini camcorder can also double up as a ‘fairly’ average digital camera. Some can achieve 8 megapixels, though half that would be more common. Voice recording? Your mini camcorder can also be enabled for quick voice notes on the move.

It is such a bonus to be able to shoot a video at a moment’s notice without the need to carry around a bulky camcorder. So if you already own a camcorder, a mini camcorder is still worth considering simply because of convenience. To find out how to shoot killer video with your Flip-style camera just click here.

....make life easier.

This is a recurring problem for Mini DV users, although the later mini DVD and flash memory mini camcorders are mostly trouble-free in this department.

It is worth bearing in mind that apparent incompatibility with Vista is usually not a Microsoft problem, and can be solved quite easily by downloading an updated driver from your camcorder’s manufacturer’s website.

Another common misconception is that downloading via the USB port can provide acceptable results for Mini DV camcorders. USB may not control your camcorder’s downloading functions properly, and the flow of information may not be sufficient for full DV/AVI file transfer. If your mini camcorder has an i-link connector, you
should be able to use a firewire/i-link/ieee 1394 cable to connect to your PC’s firewire port.

Other common fixes to try range from the ridiculously simple idea of shutting down your PC, connecting up your camcorder and turning it on, then rebooting the computer (if this works, you may have to do this every time!),  to the more complex.

Some possible fixes are:

• replacing the firewire card. Some chipsets are less compatible with mini DV camcorders than others.
• combined firewire/USB cards have been known to give problems, so if you have one of these it may be worth trying a separate firewire card.
• using Windows Move Maker instead of the bundled video capture software provided with your mini camcorder.
• using the firewire port at the rear of your computer if your PC also has one at the front; bizarrely enough, some front firewire ports on PCs are not connected up.
• trying the (free) WinDV utility; this is an application using a large buffer queue, designed for the reliable capturing of videos from a DV device into AVI files.
• trying the hotfix from Microsoft for PAl-format cameras; some of these are incorrectly detected as NTSC format, which can cause corrupted video output.

If problems persist – Windows 7 is here at last….

Downloading....

DV or DVD? That is the question.  The difference between them is mainly one of evolution.

Mini dv camcorders have been gradually declining in popularity since the advent of the tapeless mini dvd format camcorder which, along with the sd-card, flash memory and hard drive variety, offer greater convenience than the tape-based models.

Although the mini dv format allows for a full resolution of 720 x 480 (NTSC-format) or 720 x 576 (PAL), mini dvd can easily match that, and has the capability of being dropped straight into a dvd player. Footage can also be transferred to a PC much faster than digital tape.

It is true that the digital tape of the dv camcorder is less likely to be totally corrupted than tapeless models, but this is relatively rare – and of course back-ups are the key.  The recently-developed CDRoller utility can recover data from both formats, as well as from flash memory cards, but it is just as well not to put it to the test.

The evolution from cine film camera to the first analogue videotape camcorders, the more recent digital tape dv camcorders, and now the tapeless mini camcorders, steadily reducing in size, is complete!?  Just for now….

Is the Mini DVD Camcorder hot?

What are the best features to look for in a Mini Camcorder?

The best mini camcorders on the market have features such as elevated digital and optical zoom, interchangeable lenses, and image stabilization. At the high end you might also expect manual control of shutter speed and exposure, white (or neutral) balance, focus, and audio levels.
Other superior features would include a digital signal processor (dsp), and perhaps a bayonet lens mount for speedy lens changeover. You would also want to have high-capacity sd card support, an i-link connector for firewire data transfer to your computer, and a usb link as well.  A transflective display screen offers better visibility under strong light.

As for resolution, 1920 x 1080 at 30 fps (frames per second) would be considered excellent, down to perhaps 640 x 480 at the lower end. A still resolution of 8 megapixels should be more than fine. The figures are moving ever upwards…

All but the cheapest mini camcorders come with an expansion slot to insert storage cards which will increase available video storage and lengthen recording time. 60 minutes would be considered the norm, but this can be greatly extended.

Some people prefer a digicam with some weight and substance to it, making for a steadier control when recording – the complete opposite of the lightweight Flip Video, for example.

Of course, for some, you can forget all these features, because size is everything.

Size is everything.

It’s easy to see why a mini camcorder the size of a mobile phone has grabbed a 10% slice of the market in the last few years, and has transformed the expectations of the mini camcorder buyer in the process.  Some people are disappointed with the video quality or find that their videos don’t look as good as others they have seen. If that’s you, help is at hand.

So what’s the fuss all about?

The Flip’s launch in 2007 instantly defined a new market for a handheld camcorder with built-in software to upload and share videos online.  This revolutionized the way people shoot and share videos with friends and captured the imagination of a broad spectrum of buyers, including the rich and famous from Oprah Winfrey to Lily Allen, U2 – and Paris Hilton.

So you can capture life’s little ‘fun’ moments spontaneously, then immediately upload your videos to social media sites like youtube, myspace, and grouper or crackle networks. Or perhaps download to your computer for email, or watch them on TV.  In fact the Flip can be treated as a removable drive of a computer, to be accessed like any other. So although the standard Flip Ultra’s flash memory only allows 1-hour recording time, you then download to your computer and start again. As you might expect, the latest 2nd generation Flip Ultra offers a greater recording time of 120 minutes.

The Flip Video comes with a TV connector cable, wrist strap, soft carrying case, batteries, and an instruction booklet, and if you fancy some extras there is the underwater case, an ‘action mount’ to attach it to handlebars or helmets, and a tripod.

The flipsides?

Well, it’s not the best quality mini camcorder out there, though its screen resolution when played on a large screen TV is still pretty impressive. Picture quality is fine for the price, sound is OK, and zoom is just adequate. Editing is quite basic, and the built-in ‘flip-out’ USB connector could conceivably snap off when connected to your computer, especially if other USB devices are in the way. You can get round this with the USB cable accessory.

You might find some problems when exporting files to your iphone or ipod, but shareware Flip Video Converter for Mac can help you get around this.  Also, there are no expansion slots for increasing the built-in memory.

It depends what your expectations are, but if video quality doesn’t matter too much (though it may pleasantly surprise you) and you think ‘cheap and cheerful’ (less than $100 for the cheapest) rather than ‘let’s shoot Ben Hur’ then you shouldn’t have any complaints. If you do, just click here to find out how to shoot killer videos with your Flip-style camera in under an hour.