Dobson was selected for the Scotland national squad at the age of 14. In 2001, she won a bronze medal at the Youth World Championship in the Laser Radial class; in 2002 and 2004 she won silver medals at the Championships. By 2005 she was ranked seventh in the ISAF world rankings and in 2007 finished tenth in the ISAF World Championships held in Portugal. She was shortlisted for the Great Britain team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, but missed out on selection to Penny Clark.