Colors can be deceiving and hard to deal with. No patching can make a dog look a mile long. They can come unfortunately marked with black legs, spots on the topline, black extending onto the muzzle. Don't be afraid to check both sides of the dog if you feel markings may be an issue in your evaluation of the dog. Trimming - more hair is not better.
Jackets are hard, thick, cover the skin completely.
An English Cocker has to have substance, has to be a tough little dog. It has to go underneath the ground cover and it has to be as the standard says. You should be able to look at the history and come out with the right breed. Once upon a time, a man who owned Setters got into the breed and set about to 'fix this breed up.'He gave it 'nice' angulation. Of course, this dog could not move so he had to recreate the front too.