Volunteer Jobs at
AAC Trials
 *  Course Builder  *

Course Builder

Your job is to help build the courses and have all obstacles ready for the next event. You will be working with the chief course builder.


If you are working the evening before the trial, you will also be asked to help with the Pre-Trial Volunteer work when the courses have been built.


  1. Know which ring you will be working in and be there when the last dog in the event has finished its run. Please be ready so that there is no delay in course building.
  2. One person picks up numbers, the rest collapse jumps. Collapse means to remove the bar and put the 2 standards next to each other. The chief course builder will tell you what goes and what stays.
  3. One of you will pick up and carry a lot of bars and follow the chief course builder. They will use the bars to mark where obstacles will go.
  4. The rest of you will move obstacles to where the chief course builder has marked.
    1. You need 3 people and the A-frame mover to move the A-frame. Two people lift an end of the A-frame and the third slides the mover underneath, Without the mover, you need 4 people.
    2. You need 4 people to move the dogwalk. First unlock the wheels. A person at each end picks up the end. The other 2 people gently push the dogwalk to its place.
    3. You need 2 people to move the teeter, tire, and table.
    4. When moving the weaves, pick them up by the metal base, not the poles. Usually 2 people are need to move a set of 6 weaves.
    5. You need at least 2 people to move tunnels. You can drag the tunnel or slide a pole through it. You can also roll the tunnel.
    6. For single jumps, place the standards at the bar on the ground.
    7. For the ascending spread, place the LOW part of the standard at the bar.
    8. For the double, place the middle of the standard at the bar.
    9. Place at least 4 pairs of tunnel bags at each tunnel. Do not fasten them.
    10. Place 1 bar in between each single jump, perpendicular to the standards. The judge needs to wheel the course. For the double, place 4 bars, for the spread, place 5 bars.
    11. Place spikes next to the tire, chute, and weaves. Do not stick any spikes in the holes of the weave pole base. The judge may need to move the weaves.
  5. Two of you are to put out the numbers, one with the course map, the other with the numbers. Snooker and Gamblers may also need the cones labelled A, B, and C.
  6. When you are finished, the judge will look over the course and tweak it. Two of you follow the judge to move the obstacles that are to be moved.
  7. Once the judge has tweaked the course, do not move any obstacle.
  8. The judge will wheel the course. When that is done, put the bars on jumps, bag the tunnels, and nail in the spikes.
  9. Each single jump has 1 bar, unless the judge tells you otherwise. The double has 4 bars, 2 on top and 2 in the cup just below. The bottom 2 bars must be in an X. Again if the judge tells you differently, do it.

Gamblers and Team

  1. You will also have to put in lines. The chief course builder will indicate where the lines go.
  2. The rope should be at the edge of the ring. Try to find pieces of rope that are as long as the lines. If not, you can cut a piece of rope from the roll.
  3. Wrap the rope once around the spike before hammering it in, especially at corners. This helps to keep someone from pulling the rope out.
  4. Hammer the spikes all the way to the ground so that people will not trip.

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