The whining of a dog can be an irritation to lots of people, much like a crying baby. People respond with an initial urge to see if there is a problem, but if the whining goes on it can be extremely nerve racking.
Whining is a natural communication tool for dogs. They whine to communicate all sorts of things, hunger, pain, fear, loneliness or any number of other things. When puppies are small they whine for the attention of their mother and to be fed. They may be trying to communicate that they are anxious or afraid. The mother responds and the behavior is learned. The next step is to repeat the procedure with their humans who can be trained to respond just as their mother did.
If your dog is whining more than is required to let you know he has problems with pain or hunger or other legitimate needs, you should take notice of what triggers the whining. Does he start when you're eating and he wants to eat too? Is he whining to get outside when you're out or inside when you're in?
Does he whine when he's crated or kenneled?
Remember that a certain amount of whining is communication. He may need to go out to relieve himself or he may have a physical problem he wants to alert you to. Be careful to understand why he's doing it and what is the trigger.
If he does whine to be let out for toileting don't praise him overmuch for this communication. Let him out immediately and a little low-key praise is fine, but don't overdo it or he will associate the praise with the whining. Just let him out with a quiet word of praise and no other play. Try to anticipate his need to go out so he won't need to whine to let you know he's ready.
Whining dogs should be handled much like whining children. Simply ignore the whining if it isn't an urgent communication of fear or pain or some other important issue. When the whining stops give the dog some attention.
This reinforces the silent behavior you're working toward. You can often use several commands one after the other to change the dog's focus and get his mind engaged in a positive behavior. Try the commands, sit, come, down etc to get him involved in a diversion.
When he carries out his commands, then spend some time with him and reward his good behavior. If the whining is related to his being crated you should put the crate in a place where the noise won't be so audible to you and therefore you'll be more likely to ignore it effectively.
Don't make it a punishment, however. Make sure your dog has toys and a pad or blanket he likes to make it a comfortable place. Start out with short blocks of time in the crate and then work up to longer periods. Never leave him for an excessively long time or use the crate as punishment.
In general, look for the triggers and circumstances that cause the whining and do what you reasonably can to change or eliminate them. Remember that you must not give in to problematic whining. That only reinforces the behavior and makes it even harder to change.
If you dog whines in any way that indicates pain or discomfort such as when moving, eating or relieving himself you need to let your veterinarian check the situation out. One of the most common reasons dogs whine is to communicate pain.
Whining Dogs can be a big problem. As with many other negative behaviors you must remember to ignore the whining and only respond when you dog is quiet. When he is being quiet, reward him with your attention and time.
with an initial urge to see if there is a problem, but if the whining goes on it can be extremely nerve racking. 
