[FirstYorkie]

I agree that it's perfectly normal behavior for a dog to want to "save" a bone or treat for later. He's not being sneaky, he's just trying to make sure it'll be there when he wants it.

You really don't know that Gizmo is peeing out of spite. It may be that your going upstairs without him is extremely anxiety-provoking. Dogs often pee when stressed. OR, maybe he is peeing out of spite. The fact is that we don't know. The problem with saying it's spite is that it makes US defensive - it makes us want to punish the dog rather than problem-solve.

If Gizmo runs to the pad to pee, I'd say you are way ahead of the game! Reward him for using the pad. Make your going upstairs less stressful for him rather than more and you may well find that he stops this annoying behavior.

Good luck!