ds is 16 mo and uses a potty - this question comes up all the time, if you want to give the potty a go just remember its not 'training' its 'conditioning' as it you are getting them used to the idea that you don't poo in your pants, in the same way I'm sure you encouraged your,say,9 mo old to stand even though you knew it would be a while till they did it on their own.
we first put ds on at 10 mo (we use washables nappies so it was great to catch a few rather than put poo in my washing machine) now he askes for the potty (baby signing, he's not talking yet) and its hit and miss but I rarely have a pooey nappy which is great and we get most wee's
children aren't trained till they can properly ask for the potty and can at least get their pants down themselves but I don't think that practising now will do any harm
we sit ds on and he has a book or toys to keep him entertained (he makes me laugh by bringing me a book when I'm on the loo clearly that might be a bad habit we've taught him!) he only stays on for max 5 mins, if he goes great if not no problem, thats what nappies are for
I know people on here have said early potty 'training' attempts can lead to later regression which is why I think you don't push it just introduce the idea, like I say we've been putting ds on for 6 months and he's not upset by it - fingers crossed it continues!
phew... sorry that was a long post! good luck with it if you decide to give it a go but don't feel pressured into doing it if it doesn't feel right for you and dd just because someone said you should be doing it
hth x
ps the baby whisperer has a chapter on potty training starting around 9 mo which has some really helpful tips