COPS Top Ten System is based on number of Cavaliers defeated by calculating Best of Breed and Best Opposite wins in AKC competition using the AKC Awards Magazine. The Best of Breed is calculated by counting total number of Cavaliers in competition minus one.

Best Opposite is calculated as follows:
Number of Cavaliers in competiton of the same sex, minus one. Should the Best Opposite defeat Best of Winners of the same sex then both sexes of class entries are counted, plus the number of Specials of the same sex, minus one.