How old is Gypsy? Socialization doesn't stop at a certain age. It should continue, albeit not necessarily as intensly as when they're young pups. Lots and lots of happy association with people, nothing scary happening at the same time. Perhaps you can enlist the help of some people and ask people to toss some treats for the pup but only at those moments when the pup is quiet and calm. Don't reward or make a fuss....no attention at all when the pup is barking.
You can also, in the meantime at home when no one is around...no distractions work on getting the pup to "watch me." You want to be able to get the pup's attention on you when you ask....and before she alerts to someone coming along....like when you're on a walk. Once the pup alerts and gets all tense, there's no reaching her. You have to beat her to it, get her attention on you and reward lavishly for her doing that. You can bring along a toy that she doesn't get any other time, like a fun rope toy or squeeky toy and distract her with that. Don't forget to reward everytime she looks at you and is quiet.
It's normal for dogs to bark when someone comes to the house to alert you. That's what they do in the wild too to warn the pack. But they have to learn that when you (their leader) says "enough" that you know best and that they don't need to worry anymore. So, you can actively teach the "enough" command. When (and only when) the dog has a second of quiet you reward with a super yummy treat.
If there is a time where the pup barks at something which is more at a distance....not so frantic a thing as someone knocking on your door, that's a good chance to practice the enough because she'll be more likely to give you a second or two of quiet inbetween barks. After you've been able to successfully distract her and reward for quiet, and she's doing that pretty well, start adding the cue word, "enough." (or "quiet"...whatever you like) and reward. (Did I say reward?) I can't emphasisie that enough. You have to make the dog stop guessing at what you mean and that comes by a strong history of reinforcement. Don't get loud or exciteable yourself. That only fuels the pup's frenzy. And remember, only use the cue word (for now) when there is quiet. Do not try to say it before the dog stops barking because until she understands for sure the word, she'll associate it with the barking, not the quiet. So, until she's very reliable....a long time down the road, don't use the cue word until she's quiet. Keep distracting to try to get her to stop and then use the "enough" and treat. When you think she's associating the word with the quiet, you can try saying it first to get her to stop, but make sure you're able to distract to make her stop and reward. It's not a quick or easy thing for them to learn so be consistant and patient. Just make sure that it's better, more rewarding for the pup to stop barking when you say than it is to keep barking.
Also, if the dog knows that you're a good, strong leader who has everything under control, she won't be as apt to feel that she has to take care of the "pack." So, do other things to improve your leadership and get her use to following your lead. A little NILIF is good. I don't think you have to take it to the extreme. (look it up online) And obedience practice. You're giving a cue and she's responding and it's well worth it to her. In general, avoid reacting to your pup about everything. You try to be the one who acts and get her to be the one who reacts...most of the time, not the other way around.
Remember, it's best when teaching a new behavior to not give a cue word right away. Get the behavior in some other way first, reward, get the behavior to be reliable, consistant and then add a cue word. The pup doesn't understand the word anyhow at first and it's simpler for her to concentrate on getting the behavior or skill and not worry about a bunch of muddled, meaningless noise. Later you make the association between the behavior and the cue word. Attach it to the behavior, not before the behavior until you see that the dog understands it....then start trying it before the behavior as an instruction.
What about puppy class with a positive method trainer? The more exposure and the more "jobs" she has to do, the better for her confidence and her confidence in you.
Anyhow...hope some of that helps. Let us know how things go.
