How do I stop my dog barking when we leave?

We have just adopted a 7 year old German Shepherd. His old family told us that he was fine being left alone at night time, but whenever we leave he just won't stop whining! I know that this is due to the dramatic change in his life, but I was wondering what the best way to prevent this behavior would be. Do we leave him alone all night when he barks? Or is it like training a puppy? Leaving him alone for 10 mins, then 20 then 30 at a time etc. Any help would be appreciated, thank you!

He's just been through a huge change and will take some time to adjust. Apply a few separation anxiety techniques (a few listed below), and give him time.-make departures low-key-don't reward or reinforce the whining-avoid harsh discipline-reward calm/relaxed behaviour-occupy him while you're goneHere are a few questions I've answered on separation anxiety (a common problem) which may or may not be slightly helpful:http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmSLywqMlbvElHfiWcbfYQ7ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20120903113411AA3jsFHhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Apa11.KzgOycxQP9SXg1Cwfty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20120806135047AAQpcO1http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuKCpcXDHVZyYCbMiP0wlk3sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20120831180323AAQqtOKTime might be your best tool for this problem, but don't completely ignore the issue. In response to your question about leaving him, try the puppy steps option. He is an older dog and will probably work best with increasingly longer times, but start out small. He might appreciate gentle exercise before you leave and being placed in a crate with a blanket and toy if he likes them so he feels more secure. If the whining persists, he may benefit from a calming sedative from the vet to help his anxiety, though I would avoid these as I feel they are often "Band-Aid approaches". (see http://dogs-for-kids.blogspot.ca/2011/12/beware-of-band-aid-approach.html). I hope this helps you a bit!