diff --git a/kernel/watchdog.c b/kernel/watchdog.c
index 14bc092fb12c..203fc6e1a285 100644
--- a/kernel/watchdog.c
+++ b/kernel/watchdog.c
@@ -319,11 +319,9 @@ static enum hrtimer_restart watchdog_timer_fn(struct hrtimer *hrtimer)
  */
 static int watchdog(void *unused)
 {
-	struct sched_param param = { .sched_priority = MAX_RT_PRIO-1 };
+	struct sched_param param = { .sched_priority = 0 };
 	struct hrtimer *hrtimer = &__raw_get_cpu_var(watchdog_hrtimer);
 
-	sched_setscheduler(current, SCHED_FIFO, &param);
-
 	/* initialize timestamp */
 	__touch_watchdog();
 
@@ -350,7 +348,6 @@ static int watchdog(void *unused)
 		set_current_state(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
 	}
 	__set_current_state(TASK_RUNNING);
-	param.sched_priority = 0;
 	sched_setscheduler(current, SCHED_NORMAL, &param);
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -439,6 +436,7 @@ static int watchdog_enable(int cpu)
 
 	/* create the watchdog thread */
 	if (!p) {
+		struct sched_param param = { .sched_priority = MAX_RT_PRIO-1 };
 		p = kthread_create_on_node(watchdog, NULL, cpu_to_node(cpu), "watchdog/%d", cpu);
 		if (IS_ERR(p)) {
 			printk(KERN_ERR "softlockup watchdog for %i failed\n", cpu);
@@ -450,6 +448,7 @@ static int watchdog_enable(int cpu)
 			}
 			goto out;
 		}
+		sched_setscheduler(p, SCHED_FIFO, &param);
 		kthread_bind(p, cpu);
 		per_cpu(watchdog_touch_ts, cpu) = 0;
 		per_cpu(softlockup_watchdog, cpu) = p;