How do I break my dog's whining habit?

Our dog whines all day. If a bird goes by the window, if a person walks by, for no apparent reason at all, if my daughter is away from him, if the moon is out, almost for anything. We've tried distracting him with other activities, scolding him, teaching him "speak" and "no speak" , the pop can with pennies trick, "lay down", etc. He just doesn't seem to get it! It's at the point where my wife is so annoyed she wants to get rid of him. Other than this problem he's extremely well behaved and a great family dog. Does anyone have any suggestions short of a shock collar (just kidding!)? We are at wits end trying to break this habit.