diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 678e58e..2e141e2 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -3,13 +3,19 @@ LABEL maintainer "Fco. Javier Delgado del Hoyo <frandelhoyo@gmail.com>"
 
 COPY ["run.sh", "backup.sh", "restore.sh", "/"]
 
-RUN apk add --update bash mysql-client gzip && rm -rf /var/cache/apk/* && mkdir /backup &&\
+RUN apk add --update bash mysql-client gzip openssl && rm -rf /var/cache/apk/* && mkdir /backup &&\
   chmod u+x /backup.sh /restore.sh
 
+ENV DOCKERIZE_VERSION v0.6.1
+RUN wget https://github.com/jwilder/dockerize/releases/download/$DOCKERIZE_VERSION/dockerize-alpine-linux-amd64-$DOCKERIZE_VERSION.tar.gz \
+    && tar -C /usr/local/bin -xzvf dockerize-alpine-linux-amd64-$DOCKERIZE_VERSION.tar.gz \
+    && rm dockerize-alpine-linux-amd64-$DOCKERIZE_VERSION.tar.gz
+
 ENV CRON_TIME="0 3 * * sun" \
     MYSQL_HOST="mysql" \
-    MYSQL_PORT="3306"
+    MYSQL_PORT="3306" \
+    TIMEOUT="10s"
 
 VOLUME ["/backup"]
 
-CMD ["/run.sh"]
+CMD dockerize -wait tcp://${MYSQL_HOST}:${MYSQL_PORT} -timeout ${TIMEOUT} /run.sh
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f95276f..1903bae 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ docker container run -d \
 - `MAX_BACKUPS`: The number of backups to keep. When reaching the limit, the old backup will be discarded. No limit by default.
 - `INIT_BACKUP`: If set, create a backup when the container starts.
 - `INIT_RESTORE_LATEST`: Ff set, restores latest backup.
+- `TIMEOUT`: Wait a given number of seconds for the database to be ready and make the first backup, `10s` by default. After that time, the initial attempt for backup gives up and only the Cron job will try to make a backup.
 
 If you want to make this image the perfect companion of your MySQL container, use [docker-compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/). You can add more services that will be able to connect to the MySQL image using the name `my_mariadb`, note that you only expose the port `3306` internally to the servers and not to the host: