diff --git a/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go b/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go
index 093ab6bc9149..ffc299bb7dee 100644
--- a/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go
+++ b/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/pkg/v3/pbutil"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/etcdserver/api/snap/snappb"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/storage/wal/walpb"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/watchdog"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3/raftpb"
 
@@ -88,7 +89,9 @@ func (s *Snapshotter) save(snapshot *raftpb.Snapshot) error {
 	spath := filepath.Join(s.dir, fname)
 
 	fsyncStart := time.Now()
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("save v2 snapshot")
 	err = pioutil.WriteAndSyncFile(spath, d, 0666)
+	cancel()
 	snapFsyncSec.Observe(time.Since(fsyncStart).Seconds())
 
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go b/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go
index 0d12a0868ddc..91bb7067e7db 100644
--- a/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go
+++ b/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
 	bolt "go.etcd.io/bbolt"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/watchdog"
 )
 
 type BucketID int
@@ -114,7 +115,9 @@ func (t *batchTx) RUnlock() {
 }
 
 func (t *batchTx) UnsafeCreateBucket(bucket Bucket) {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx createBucket")
 	_, err := t.tx.CreateBucket(bucket.Name())
+	cancel()
 	if err != nil && err != bolt.ErrBucketExists {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to create a bucket",
@@ -126,7 +129,9 @@ func (t *batchTx) UnsafeCreateBucket(bucket Bucket) {
 }
 
 func (t *batchTx) UnsafeDeleteBucket(bucket Bucket) {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx deleteBucket")
 	err := t.tx.DeleteBucket(bucket.Name())
+	cancel()
 	if err != nil && err != bolt.ErrBucketNotFound {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to delete a bucket",
@@ -161,7 +166,11 @@ func (t *batchTx) unsafePut(bucketType Bucket, key []byte, value []byte, seq boo
 		// this can delay the page split and reduce space usage.
 		bucket.FillPercent = 0.9
 	}
-	if err := bucket.Put(key, value); err != nil {
+
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx put")
+	err := bucket.Put(key, value)
+	cancel()
+	if err != nil {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to write to a bucket",
 			zap.Stringer("bucket-name", bucketType),
@@ -216,7 +225,9 @@ func (t *batchTx) UnsafeDelete(bucketType Bucket, key []byte) {
 			zap.Stack("stack"),
 		)
 	}
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx delete")
 	err := bucket.Delete(key)
+	cancel()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to delete a key",
@@ -268,9 +279,11 @@ func (t *batchTx) commit(stop bool) {
 
 		start := time.Now()
 
+		cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx commit")
 		// gofail: var beforeCommit struct{}
 		err := t.tx.Commit()
 		// gofail: var afterCommit struct{}
+		cancel()
 
 		rebalanceSec.Observe(t.tx.Stats().RebalanceTime.Seconds())
 		spillSec.Observe(t.tx.Stats().SpillTime.Seconds())
diff --git a/server/storage/wal/wal.go b/server/storage/wal/wal.go
index 7f8b25f5ddd2..6d47a9a15347 100644
--- a/server/storage/wal/wal.go
+++ b/server/storage/wal/wal.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/client/pkg/v3/fileutil"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/pkg/v3/pbutil"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/storage/wal/walpb"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/watchdog"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3/raftpb"
 
@@ -798,6 +799,8 @@ func (w *WAL) cut() error {
 }
 
 func (w *WAL) sync() error {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("WAL sync")
+	defer cancel()
 	if w.encoder != nil {
 		if err := w.encoder.flush(); err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -935,12 +938,19 @@ func (w *WAL) Save(st raftpb.HardState, ents []raftpb.Entry) error {
 	mustSync := raft.MustSync(st, w.state, len(ents))
 
 	// TODO(xiangli): no more reference operator
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("WAL saveEntry")
 	for i := range ents {
 		if err := w.saveEntry(&ents[i]); err != nil {
+			cancel()
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	if err := w.saveState(&st); err != nil {
+	cancel()
+
+	cancel = watchdog.Register("WAL saveState")
+	err := w.saveState(&st)
+	cancel()
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -972,9 +982,13 @@ func (w *WAL) SaveSnapshot(e walpb.Snapshot) error {
 	defer w.mu.Unlock()
 
 	rec := &walpb.Record{Type: SnapshotType, Data: b}
-	if err := w.encoder.encode(rec); err != nil {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("WAL saveSnapshot")
+	err := w.encoder.encode(rec)
+	cancel()
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	// update enti only when snapshot is ahead of last index
 	if w.enti < e.Index {
 		w.enti = e.Index