How do you handle dog whining or barking in the middle of the night?

Exercise! A tired dog usually just wants to sleep :) I will run the stairs with them, throw a ball, go for a long walk, basic obedience stuff to work their mind etc.. Its a great time to bond with a new dog and wear them out so when Its time for bed, they are more comfortable with you as the sitter and tired enough to fall asleep. I do keep them in my room next to the bed so they can still see me. Most of the dogs I take are crate trained so I put the crate next to my bed. A few have anxiety in the crate, but seem perfectly comfortable in a dog bed next to my bed. (We don't allow dogs on our bed). Also, practice leaving them where they will sleep throughout the day. If its in their own crate, or a certain room, let them stay there for a few minutes at a time, and while they're calm, praise them when you let them out. gradually increase the time so when Its time for bed it's not a big deal for them. (Not so they are locked away for the whole day, but if they will stay in their sleeping spot for 10-20 minutes without barking or whining then they should be okay at bedtime). Hope that helps!

For me, this is the most difficult thing to handle as a sitter, because I know it's just anxiety on the part of the dog, but it's really hard to stay calm and be comforting when you're not getting any sleep. I'd say for about half the new dogs we watch, I'll sleep on the couch in the living room the first night to be near them. My partner and I are both allergic, so even though we can tolerate dogs in the house, we can't really tolerate dogs in the bed, and we try to minimize their presence in the bedroom at all. Our dogs are accustomed to sleeping in their own beds in the living room while we have the bedroom door shut, but this is stressful for some of our guests. Usually staying in the room with them helps a bit, though sometimes we just have to ride it out for that first night. After that they typically settle in. Depending on the dog (whether they're inclined to jump on the bed and whether they seem to trigger our allergies more than most) we may just keep the bedroom door open and let them sleep on the floor there if they choose.

If taking them out doesn't do the trick. Make them too tired to whine! Play, walk, anything.

Make sure that they have had plenty of exercise that day. You can always move them in the room with you and see if that would work.

Although initially you may experience plenty of sleepless nights, it is better to ignore any barking or whining at night from the get go. As long as your dog is comfortable, it will come to no harm and this attention seeking behaviour should only last for a short time.

If the barking or whining is persistent, quietly make your way down to the closed door and give a firm command of quiet through the door. Do not open the door until your dog has calmed down and is being quiet. When this occurs, open the door and give them lots of praise and cuddles.

The first thing that I will check if the dog is whining at night is if they need to go out to use the restroom. The next thing is that the dog may be experiencing anxiety from missing their owner/their own home and may want some extra cuddles and attention. If you can and are willing, allow the dog to sleep with you on the couch or bed.