diff --git a/recipes-bsp/watchdog/watchdog-5.9/init b/recipes-bsp/watchdog/watchdog-5.9/init
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d6f939a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipes-bsp/watchdog/watchdog-5.9/init
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#/etc/init.d/watchdog: start watchdog daemon.
+#based on debian/init of watchdog
+
+### BEGIN INIT INFO
+# Provides:          watchdog
+# Short-Description: Start software watchdog daemon
+# Required-Start:    $all
+# Required-Stop:     $all
+# Should-Start:      
+# Should-Stop:       
+# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
+# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
+### END INIT INFO
+
+PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin
+
+test -x /usr/sbin/watchdog || exit 0
+
+# For configuration of the init script use the file
+# /etc/default/watchdog, do not edit this init script.
+
+# Set run_watchdog to 1 to start watchdog or 0 to disable it.
+
+# Specify additional watchdog options here (see manpage).
+watchdog_options=""
+
+# Specify module to load
+watchdog_module="none"
+
+run_watchdog=1
+
+[ -e /etc/default/watchdog ] && . /etc/default/watchdog
+
+NAME=watchdog
+
+DAEMON=/usr/sbin/watchdog
+
+case "$1" in
+  start)
+    if [ $run_watchdog = 1 ]
+    then
+        # do we have to load a module?
+        [ ${watchdog_module:-none} != "none" ] && /sbin/modprobe $watchdog_module
+
+        # Unconditionally start watchdog daemon because we want to run it even
+        # if wd_keepalive wasn't running
+        echo "Starting watchdog daemon..."
+        start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile /var/run/$NAME.pid \
+             --exec $DAEMON -- $watchdog_options
+    fi
+    ;;
+
+  stop)
+    if [ $run_watchdog = 1 ]
+    then
+        echo "Stopping watchdog daemon..."
+        start-stop-daemon --stop -s 9 --quiet \
+            --pidfile /var/run/$NAME.pid
+    fi
+    ;;
+
+  restart)
+    $0 force-reload
+    ;;
+
+  force-reload)
+    if [ $run_watchdog = 0 ]; then exit 0; fi
+    echo "Restarting ${NAME}"
+    stop
+    start
+    ;;
+
+  *)
+    echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/watchdog {start|stop|restart|force-reload}"
+    exit 1
+
+esac
+
+exit 0
+
diff --git a/recipes-bsp/watchdog/watchdog_5.9.bbappend b/recipes-bsp/watchdog/watchdog_5.9.bbappend
index dc58997..8897f11 100644
--- a/recipes-bsp/watchdog/watchdog_5.9.bbappend
+++ b/recipes-bsp/watchdog/watchdog_5.9.bbappend
@@ -1,16 +1,25 @@
 SYSMOCOM := "${@os.path.dirname(bb.data.getVar('FILE', d, True))}"
 FILESEXTRAPATHS_prepend := "${SYSMOCOM}/${PN}-${PV}:"
-PRINC = "2"
+PRINC = "4"
 
-SRC_URI_append_sysmobts-v1 = " file://watchdog.conf"
-SRC_URI_append_sysmobts-v2 = " file://watchdog.conf"
+inherit update-rc.d
+
+SRC_URI_append_sysmobts-v1 = " file://watchdog.conf file://init"
+SRC_URI_append_sysmobts-v2 = " file://watchdog.conf file://init"
 
 do_install_append() {
 
 	if [ -e ${WORKDIR}/watchdog.conf ]; then
 		install -D -m 0644 ${WORKDIR}/watchdog.conf ${D}/${sysconfdir}/
 	fi
+
+	install -D -m 0755 ${WORKDIR}/init ${D}/${sysconfdir}/init.d/watchdog
 }
 
+CONFFILES_${PN} = "${sysconfdir}/watchdog.conf"
+INITSCRIPT_PACKAGES = "${PN}"
+INITSCRIPT_NAME_${PN} = "watchdog"
+INITSCRIPT_PARAMS_${PN} = "defaults 0 99"
+
 # bug in poky meta/classes/base.bbclass?
 PACKAGE_ARCH = "${MACHINE_ARCH}"