diff --git a/usr.sbin/watchdogd/watchdogd.c b/usr.sbin/watchdogd/watchdogd.c
index 9ed9de31683d..1271bbfe35dc 100644
--- a/usr.sbin/watchdogd/watchdogd.c
+++ b/usr.sbin/watchdogd/watchdogd.c
@@ -685,10 +685,15 @@ seconds_to_pow2ns(int seconds)
 static void
 parseargs(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
+	struct timespec ts;
 	int longindex;
 	int c;
 	const char *lopt;
 
+	/* Get the default value of timeout_sec from the default timeout. */
+	pow2ns_to_ts(timeout, &ts);
+	timeout_sec = ts.tv_sec;
+
 	/*
 	 * if we end with a 'd' aka 'watchdogd' then we are the daemon program,
 	 * otherwise run as a command line utility.
@@ -731,9 +736,9 @@ parseargs(int argc, char *argv[])
 		case 't':
 			timeout_sec = atoi(optarg);
 			timeout = parse_timeout_to_pow2ns(c, NULL, optarg);
- 			if (debugging)
- 				printf("Timeout is 2^%d nanoseconds\n",
- 				    timeout);
+			if (debugging)
+				printf("Timeout is 2^%d nanoseconds\n",
+				    timeout);
 			break;
 		case 'T':
 			carp_thresh_seconds =
@@ -782,10 +787,7 @@ parseargs(int argc, char *argv[])
 	if (is_daemon && timeout < WD_TO_1SEC)
 		errx(EX_USAGE, "-t argument is less than one second.");
 	if (pretimeout_set) {
-		struct timespec ts;
-
-		pow2ns_to_ts(timeout, &ts);
-		if (pretimeout >= (uintmax_t)ts.tv_sec) {
+		if (pretimeout >= timeout_sec) {
 			errx(EX_USAGE,
 			    "pretimeout (%d) >= timeout (%d -> %ld)\n"
 			    "see manual section TIMEOUT RESOLUTION",