diff --git a/explore_stack/launch/combined_bringup.launch b/explore_stack/launch/combined_bringup.launch
index bc0b902..1992c39 100644
--- a/explore_stack/launch/combined_bringup.launch
+++ b/explore_stack/launch/combined_bringup.launch
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
         <arg name="model" value="$(arg model)"/>
     </include>
 
-    <!--<include file="$(find cmd_vel_watchdog)/launch/cmd_vel_watchdog.launch">-->
-    <!--</include>-->
+    <include file="$(find velocity_topic_watchdog)/launch/velocity_topic_watchdog.launch">
+    </include>
 
 
     <!--GAZEBO-->
diff --git a/cmd_vel_watchdog/CMakeLists.txt b/velocity_topic_watchdog/CMakeLists.txt
similarity index 96%
rename from cmd_vel_watchdog/CMakeLists.txt
rename to velocity_topic_watchdog/CMakeLists.txt
index cfd8eb6..0bc8850 100644
--- a/cmd_vel_watchdog/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/velocity_topic_watchdog/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8.3)
-project(cmd_vel_watchdog)
+project(velocity_topic_watchdog)
 
 ## Compile as C++11, supported in ROS Kinetic and newer
 # add_compile_options(-std=c++11)
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ find_package(catkin REQUIRED COMPONENTS
 ## DEPENDS: system dependencies of this project that dependent projects also need
 catkin_package(
 #  INCLUDE_DIRS include
-#  LIBRARIES cmd_vel_watchdog
+#  LIBRARIES velocity_topic_watchdog
 #  CATKIN_DEPENDS geometry_msgs roscpp rospy
 #  DEPENDS system_lib
 )
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ include_directories(
 
 ## Declare a C++ library
 # add_library(${PROJECT_NAME}
-#   src/${PROJECT_NAME}/cmd_vel_watchdog.cpp
+#   src/${PROJECT_NAME}/velocity_topic_watchdog.cpp
 # )
 
 ## Add cmake target dependencies of the library
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ include_directories(
 ## Declare a C++ executable
 ## With catkin_make all packages are built within a single CMake context
 ## The recommended prefix ensures that target names across packages don't collide
-add_executable(cmd_vel_watchdog src/cmd_vel_watchdog.cpp)
+add_executable(velocity_topic_watchdog src/velocity_topic_watchdog.cpp)
 
 ## Rename C++ executable without prefix
 ## The above recommended prefix causes long target names, the following renames the
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ add_executable(cmd_vel_watchdog src/cmd_vel_watchdog.cpp)
 # add_dependencies(${PROJECT_NAME}_node ${${PROJECT_NAME}_EXPORTED_TARGETS} ${catkin_EXPORTED_TARGETS})
 
 ## Specify libraries to link a library or executable target against
- target_link_libraries(cmd_vel_watchdog
+ target_link_libraries(velocity_topic_watchdog
    ${catkin_LIBRARIES}
  )
 
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ add_executable(cmd_vel_watchdog src/cmd_vel_watchdog.cpp)
 ## Install ##
 #############
 # install nodes
-install(TARGETS cmd_vel_watchdog
+install(TARGETS velocity_topic_watchdog
         ARCHIVE DESTINATION ${CATKIN_PACKAGE_LIB_DESTINATION}
         LIBRARY DESTINATION ${CATKIN_PACKAGE_LIB_DESTINATION}
         RUNTIME DESTINATION ${CATKIN_PACKAGE_BIN_DESTINATION}
diff --git a/cmd_vel_watchdog/launch/cmd_vel_watchdog.launch b/velocity_topic_watchdog/launch/velocity_topic_watchdog.launch
similarity index 50%
rename from cmd_vel_watchdog/launch/cmd_vel_watchdog.launch
rename to velocity_topic_watchdog/launch/velocity_topic_watchdog.launch
index f394503..1e505a2 100644
--- a/cmd_vel_watchdog/launch/cmd_vel_watchdog.launch
+++ b/velocity_topic_watchdog/launch/velocity_topic_watchdog.launch
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 <launch>
     <arg name="velocity_topic" default="cmd_vel"/>
-    <node pkg="cmd_vel_watchdog"
-          type="cmd_vel_watchdog"
+    <node pkg="velocity_topic_watchdog"
+          type="velocity_topic_watchdog"
           respawn="true"
-          name="cmd_vel_watchdog"
+          name="velocity_topic_watchdog"
           output="screen">
         <remap from="cmd_vel" to="$(arg velocity_topic)"/>
     </node>
-    <param name="watchdog_patience" value="10.0" type="double"/>
+    <param name="watchdog_patience" value="2.0" type="double"/>
 </launch>
diff --git a/cmd_vel_watchdog/package.xml b/velocity_topic_watchdog/package.xml
similarity index 96%
rename from cmd_vel_watchdog/package.xml
rename to velocity_topic_watchdog/package.xml
index 9347b7f..5900b94 100644
--- a/cmd_vel_watchdog/package.xml
+++ b/velocity_topic_watchdog/package.xml
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <?xml version="1.0"?>
 <package format="2">
-  <name>cmd_vel_watchdog</name>
+  <name>velocity_topic_watchdog</name>
   <version>0.0.0</version>
-  <description>The cmd_vel_watchdog package</description>
+  <description>The velocity_topic_watchdog package</description>
 
   <!-- One maintainer tag required, multiple allowed, one person per tag -->
   <!-- Example:  -->
diff --git a/cmd_vel_watchdog/src/cmd_vel_watchdog.cpp b/velocity_topic_watchdog/src/velocity_topic_watchdog.cpp
similarity index 71%
rename from cmd_vel_watchdog/src/cmd_vel_watchdog.cpp
rename to velocity_topic_watchdog/src/velocity_topic_watchdog.cpp
index ab35b67..30e3914 100644
--- a/cmd_vel_watchdog/src/cmd_vel_watchdog.cpp
+++ b/velocity_topic_watchdog/src/velocity_topic_watchdog.cpp
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #include <ros/ros.h>
 #include <geometry_msgs/Twist.h>
 
-namespace cmd_vel_watchdog{
+namespace velocity_topic_watchdog{
 
 ros::Publisher *pub_ptr;
 ros::Timer *global_timer;
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ ros::Duration *watchdog_duration;
 double watchdog_timeout_param (3.0);
 
 void watchdogTimerCallback(const ros::TimerEvent &timerEvent){
-    ROS_WARN_STREAM("velocity topic watchdog activated!");
+    ROS_WARN_STREAM("velocity_topic_watchdog activated!");
     pub_ptr->publish(*stop_msg_ptr);
     ROS_WARN_STREAM("STOP MSG PUBLISHED to [" << pub_ptr->getTopic() << "]");
     global_timer->stop();
@@ -63,20 +63,20 @@ void commandVelocityReceived(const geometry_msgs::Twist &msgIn){
 }
 
 
-} // namespace cmd_vel_watchdog
+} // namespace velocity_topic_watchdog
 int main(int argc, char** argv){
-    ros::init(argc, argv, "cmd_vel_watchdog");
+    ros::init(argc, argv, "velocity_topic_watchdog");
     ros::NodeHandle nh;
 
-    if (!nh.getParam("watchdog_patience", cmd_vel_watchdog::watchdog_timeout_param)){
+    if (!nh.getParam("watchdog_patience", velocity_topic_watchdog::watchdog_timeout_param)){
         ROS_INFO_STREAM(
                 "watchdog_patience param is not found, setting to default = " <<
-                                                                              cmd_vel_watchdog::DEFAULT_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT << " sec");
-        cmd_vel_watchdog::watchdog_timeout_param = cmd_vel_watchdog::DEFAULT_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT;
+                                                                              velocity_topic_watchdog::DEFAULT_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT << " sec");
+        velocity_topic_watchdog::watchdog_timeout_param = velocity_topic_watchdog::DEFAULT_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT;
     }
-    ROS_INFO_STREAM("watchdog time set to " << cmd_vel_watchdog::watchdog_timeout_param << " [sec]");
+    ROS_INFO_STREAM("watchdog time set to " << velocity_topic_watchdog::watchdog_timeout_param << " [sec]");
 
-    cmd_vel_watchdog::initGlobals(nh);
+    velocity_topic_watchdog::initGlobals(nh);
 
 
 
@@ -84,11 +84,11 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv){
     const std::string &this_node_name = ros::this_node::getName();
     ROS_INFO_STREAM(this_node_name << " created");
 
-    cmd_vel_watchdog::pub_ptr = new ros::Publisher(nh.advertise<geometry_msgs::Twist>(default_velocity_topic, 1));
+    velocity_topic_watchdog::pub_ptr = new ros::Publisher(nh.advertise<geometry_msgs::Twist>(default_velocity_topic, 1));
 
-    ROS_INFO_STREAM(this_node_name <<" advertised publisher to " << cmd_vel_watchdog::pub_ptr->getTopic());
+    ROS_INFO_STREAM(this_node_name <<" advertised publisher to " << velocity_topic_watchdog::pub_ptr->getTopic());
 
-    ros::Subscriber sub  = nh.subscribe(default_velocity_topic, 1, &cmd_vel_watchdog::commandVelocityReceived);
+    ros::Subscriber sub  = nh.subscribe(default_velocity_topic, 1, &velocity_topic_watchdog::commandVelocityReceived);
     ROS_INFO_STREAM(this_node_name <<" subscribed to topic " << sub.getTopic());
 
     while(ros::ok()){
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv){
     }
 
     ROS_WARN_STREAM(this_node_name <<" SHUT_DOWN ");
-    delete cmd_vel_watchdog::pub_ptr;
-    delete cmd_vel_watchdog::global_timer;
-    delete cmd_vel_watchdog::stop_msg_ptr;
-    delete cmd_vel_watchdog::watchdog_duration;
+    delete velocity_topic_watchdog::pub_ptr;
+    delete velocity_topic_watchdog::global_timer;
+    delete velocity_topic_watchdog::stop_msg_ptr;
+    delete velocity_topic_watchdog::watchdog_duration;
 }
\ No newline at end of file