I love kittens, but I would never bring one kitten into my home. Kittens should be adopted in twos or threes, so they can play with each other instead of destroying your house.
We have friends with a border collie mix with an extremely strong herding instinct. When their cat died, the dog was despondent because he had nothing to watch all day. I joked that what they needed to do was buy him his own sheep. Instead, they adopted three 12-week-old kittens last summer. Joey spends pretty much all day, every day, watching one or more kittens (now almost grown up) intently, but they clearly are fitting into the role of things to be protected, not things to be chased. It seems to be working out well for all concerned.
I don’t know if this helps you or not, but it’s highly unlikely. You probably know your dog pretty well by now. If it does happen, it’s probably equally likely with a big or small cat.
The best protection is well set up and watched introduction period. This is true regardless of whether you are getting cats or kittens. If you get adult cats, make sure that the shelter or rescue has tested them with dogs (most do) so you know whether they can tolerate them. If you bring home adults that hate dogs, it will be rough. They should test, so you can know up front.
Again, the age of the cats shouldn’t matter for this. You’re still going to have to do some baby-sitting. Just like any time you introduce a new animal (even another dog or, say, a baby person).
Your thread is making me very jealous. Fuzzy friends are fun. New fuzzy friends are awesome!