diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/meson_gxbb_wdt.c b/drivers/watchdog/meson_gxbb_wdt.c
index 5aebc3a09652..945f5e65db57 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/meson_gxbb_wdt.c
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/meson_gxbb_wdt.c
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@ module_param(nowayout, bool, 0);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(nowayout, "Watchdog cannot be stopped once started default="
 		 __MODULE_STRING(WATCHDOG_NOWAYOUT) ")");
 
+static unsigned int timeout;
+module_param(timeout, uint, 0);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(timeout, "Watchdog heartbeat in seconds="
+		 __MODULE_STRING(DEFAULT_TIMEOUT) ")");
+
 struct meson_gxbb_wdt {
 	void __iomem *reg_base;
 	struct watchdog_device wdt_dev;
@@ -180,6 +185,7 @@ static int meson_gxbb_wdt_probe(struct platform_device *pdev)
 	data->wdt_dev.max_hw_heartbeat_ms = GXBB_WDT_TCNT_SETUP_MASK;
 	data->wdt_dev.min_timeout = 1;
 	data->wdt_dev.timeout = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT;
+	watchdog_init_timeout(&data->wdt_dev, timeout, dev);
 	watchdog_set_nowayout(&data->wdt_dev, nowayout);
 	watchdog_set_drvdata(&data->wdt_dev, data);