Mindy is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Animal Behavior program at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI and instructor at Virginia Tech in the Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare program, where she is also on several graduate student committees. She is a board-Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB).
Dr. Waite’s CV: https://animalbehaviorwi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/MRW-CV-Jan-2025.pdf
Research
Her early studies focused on the prevalence, function, and function-based interventions for mouthing behavior in dogs. Current studies focus on developing and validating owner-implemented protocols which can be autonomously carried out by animal caretakers. Her previous publication focused on the modification and validation of an owner-implemented food preference assessment for dogs, and her current study focuses on the validation of a protocol offering asynchronous modeling and coaching to owners autonomously training their dogs to cooperatively engage in an ear cleaning procedure. Mindy’s current research focuses on testing the use of Calming Caps in dogs who are aggressive toward other dogs on leash, testing the use of window film for dogs engaging in problematic vocalizing within the home (written and overseen by a student PI at VT), and developing and testing a protocol for owners to train their dogs to cooperate with nail trimming. Her research has received several awards, including the Marian Breland-Bailey Award and Fear Free Award, as well as two rounds of competitive funding from Fear Free.
Legal Consulting
Mindy engages in legal consulting as an expert witness or
Teaching
Mindy teaches several undergraduate courses at Carroll University, including Introduction to Animal Behavior and Applied Behavior Analysis. In addition, she oversees two unique, hands-on dog training classes at Carroll, including lectures and labs for Introduction to Canine Care, Behavior, and Training as well as Advanced Skills in Canine Management & Training. The intro course focuses on applying behavioral principles and training techniques to dogs living in the shelter, whereas the second course in the series oversees students fostering shelter dogs in their own home and engaging in necessary training throughout the semester.
Education
Mindy received her BS in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, PhD in Molecular Biology (mouse brain development) from the University of Michigan, and MS in Behavior Analysis from Marquette University.