Jumping & Barking

Question
I have a very sweet lab puppy, Sophie, 6 months.  But I can not keep her from jumping on guests!  She's pretty good with me, I can now come home and keep her down, but my friends just think she should be trained to "down" and "stay". It takes some time for her to calm down.
Sophie goes out in the back yard and barks and barks and barks (at nothing!) I usually make her come in then, but in a few minutes she wants out again.  She house trained very easy(by 10 weeks she was done) but she would go to the door and bark and then get let out immediately!  I wonder if I did this completly wrong.  Since she now barks to go outside for no reason.  I have a dog on both sides of my house that tend to bark a lot.  Sophie use to just look at them (a little bored) but now seems to have joined in!  Help!!!  

Answer
Dear Cheryl,

You trained her right to bark to be let out! She's just following the other dogs it seems when she barks.  What you should try to do, since she sounds like a smart dog, is go out with her, and when she barks say no, and come. When she comes pet her and tell her shes a good girland let her go play or what ever. But dont say no if a person is out in the ally, because then she is most likey trying to protect you.  Even now she may, either it be from a tree, or like my dog does, parked motercycles.  So try that. For the jumping, berfore you let your friends in the house. have your dog sit away from the door and tell her to stay with a treat in your hand, and let her know you have one.  When your friends come in and sit down and she is still where she's at tell her to come and give her the treat praising her.  If she jumps on a friend pull her down saying no!  Also if it doesn't seem to odd, ask your friends to utrn around showing their back to the dog when she jumps. THats telling er they want nothing to do with her if she jumps, and i she stops, let them put her, and you can go on with your day.  TRy those to things and see how they wok, if you need any more idea's I'll ask a few trainers for you, tell me how it goes.
Thanks!
Amy