diff --git a/common/odp/odp.go b/common/odp/odp.go
index 0ea0b8b1..de9a527d 100644
--- a/common/odp/odp.go
+++ b/common/odp/odp.go
@@ -75,6 +75,14 @@ func DeleteDatapath(dpname string) error {
 }
 
 func AddDatapathInterface(dpname string, ifname string) error {
+	return addDatapathInterface(dpname, ifname, false)
+}
+
+func AddDatapathInterfaceIfNotExist(dpname string, ifname string) error {
+	return addDatapathInterface(dpname, ifname, true)
+}
+
+func addDatapathInterface(dpname, ifname string, ignoreIfExist bool) error {
 	dpif, err := odp.NewDpif()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -87,5 +95,9 @@ func AddDatapathInterface(dpname string, ifname string) error {
 	}
 
 	_, err = dp.CreateVport(odp.NewNetdevVportSpec(ifname))
+	if ignoreIfExist && err == odp.NetlinkError(syscall.EEXIST) {
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	return err
 }
diff --git a/net/bridge.go b/net/bridge.go
index 9359fa86..0c87bcbe 100644
--- a/net/bridge.go
+++ b/net/bridge.go
@@ -227,12 +227,19 @@ func (config *BridgeConfig) configuredBridgeType() Bridge {
 }
 
 func EnsureBridge(procPath string, config *BridgeConfig, log *logrus.Logger) (Bridge, error) {
-	bridgeType, err := ExistingBridgeType(config.WeaveBridgeName, config.DatapathName)
-	if bridgeType != nil || err != nil {
-		return bridgeType, err
+	existingBridgeType, err := ExistingBridgeType(config.WeaveBridgeName, config.DatapathName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	bridgeType := config.configuredBridgeType()
+
+	if existingBridgeType != nil && bridgeType.String() != existingBridgeType.String() {
+		return nil,
+			fmt.Errorf("Existing bridge type %q is different than requested %q. Please do 'weave reset' and try again",
+				existingBridgeType, bridgeType)
 	}
 
-	bridgeType = config.configuredBridgeType()
 	for {
 		if err := bridgeType.init(config); err != nil {
 			if errors.Cause(err) == errBridgeNotSupported {
@@ -288,7 +295,7 @@ func (b bridgeImpl) initPrep(config *BridgeConfig) error {
 		config.MTU = 65535
 	}
 	b.bridge = &netlink.Bridge{LinkAttrs: linkAttrs}
-	if err = netlink.LinkAdd(b.bridge); err != nil {
+	if err := LinkAddIfNotExist(b.bridge); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "creating bridge %q", config.WeaveBridgeName)
 	}
 	if err := netlink.LinkSetHardwareAddr(b.bridge, mac); err != nil {
@@ -320,7 +327,7 @@ func (b bridgeImpl) init(config *BridgeConfig) error {
 	if err := b.initPrep(config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if _, err := CreateAndAttachVeth(BridgeIfName, PcapIfName, config.WeaveBridgeName, config.MTU, true, func(veth netlink.Link) error {
+	if _, err := CreateAndAttachVeth(BridgeIfName, PcapIfName, config.WeaveBridgeName, config.MTU, true, false, func(veth netlink.Link) error {
 		return netlink.LinkSetUp(veth)
 	}); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "creating pcap veth pair")
@@ -370,11 +377,11 @@ func (bf bridgedFastdpImpl) init(config *BridgeConfig) error {
 	if err := bf.bridgeImpl.initPrep(config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if _, err := CreateAndAttachVeth(BridgeIfName, DatapathIfName, config.WeaveBridgeName, config.MTU, true, func(veth netlink.Link) error {
+	if _, err := CreateAndAttachVeth(BridgeIfName, DatapathIfName, config.WeaveBridgeName, config.MTU, true, false, func(veth netlink.Link) error {
 		if err := netlink.LinkSetUp(veth); err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrapf(err, "setting link up on %q", veth.Attrs().Name)
 		}
-		if err := odp.AddDatapathInterface(bf.datapathName, veth.Attrs().Name); err != nil {
+		if err := odp.AddDatapathInterfaceIfNotExist(bf.datapathName, veth.Attrs().Name); err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrapf(err, "adding interface %q to datapath %q", veth.Attrs().Name, bf.datapathName)
 		}
 		return nil
@@ -394,7 +401,7 @@ func (bf bridgedFastdpImpl) attach(veth *netlink.Veth) error {
 }
 
 func (f fastdpImpl) attach(veth *netlink.Veth) error {
-	return odp.AddDatapathInterface(f.datapathName, veth.Attrs().Name)
+	return odp.AddDatapathInterfaceIfNotExist(f.datapathName, veth.Attrs().Name)
 }
 
 func configureIPTables(config *BridgeConfig) error {
@@ -404,10 +411,18 @@ func configureIPTables(config *BridgeConfig) error {
 	}
 	if config.DockerBridgeName != "" {
 		if config.WeaveBridgeName != config.DockerBridgeName {
-			err := ipt.Insert("filter", "FORWARD", 1, "-i", config.DockerBridgeName, "-o", config.WeaveBridgeName, "-j", "DROP")
+			// This check is not ideal, as the rule should be at the very top
+			// of the chain.
+			found, err := ipt.Exists("filter", "FORWARD", "-i", config.DockerBridgeName, "-o", config.WeaveBridgeName, "-j", "DROP")
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+			if !found {
+				err := ipt.Insert("filter", "FORWARD", 1, "-i", config.DockerBridgeName, "-o", config.WeaveBridgeName, "-j", "DROP")
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
 		}
 
 		dockerBridgeIP, err := FindBridgeIP(config.DockerBridgeName, nil)
diff --git a/net/netlink.go b/net/netlink.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a6b45d2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/net/netlink.go
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+package net
+
+import (
+	"syscall"
+
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"github.com/vishvananda/netlink"
+)
+
+func LinkAddIfNotExist(link netlink.Link) error {
+	err := netlink.LinkAdd(link)
+	if err != nil && err == syscall.EEXIST {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return errors.Wrapf(err, "creating link %q", link)
+}
diff --git a/net/veth.go b/net/veth.go
index f7f44c2a..6c188fb5 100644
--- a/net/veth.go
+++ b/net/veth.go
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 // create and attach a veth to the Weave bridge
-func CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName string, mtu int, keepTXOn bool, init func(peer netlink.Link) error) (*netlink.Veth, error) {
+func CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName string, mtu int, keepTXOn bool, errIfLinkExist bool, init func(peer netlink.Link) error) (*netlink.Veth, error) {
 	bridge, err := netlink.LinkByName(bridgeName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(`bridge "%s" not present; did you launch weave?`, bridgeName)
@@ -28,7 +28,12 @@ func CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName string, mtu int, keepTXOn bo
 			MTU:  mtu},
 		PeerName: peerName,
 	}
-	if err := netlink.LinkAdd(veth); err != nil {
+
+	linkAdd := LinkAddIfNotExist
+	if errIfLinkExist {
+		linkAdd = netlink.LinkAdd
+	}
+	if err := linkAdd(veth); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(`could not create veth pair %s-%s: %s`, name, peerName, err)
 	}
 
@@ -116,7 +121,7 @@ func AttachContainer(netNSPath, id, ifName, bridgeName string, mtu int, withMult
 			id = id[:maxIDLen] // trim passed ID if too long
 		}
 		name, peerName := vethPrefix+"pl"+id, vethPrefix+"pg"+id
-		veth, err := CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName, mtu, keepTXOn, func(veth netlink.Link) error {
+		veth, err := CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, bridgeName, mtu, keepTXOn, true, func(veth netlink.Link) error {
 			if err := netlink.LinkSetNsFd(veth, int(ns)); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to move veth to container netns: %s", err)
 			}
diff --git a/plugin/net/driver.go b/plugin/net/driver.go
index e5f78124..70de3efa 100644
--- a/plugin/net/driver.go
+++ b/plugin/net/driver.go
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ func (driver *driver) CreateEndpoint(create *api.CreateEndpointRequest) (*api.Cr
 
 	// create veths. note we assume endpoint IDs are unique in the first 9 chars
 	name, peerName := vethPair(create.EndpointID)
-	if _, err := weavenet.CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, weavenet.WeaveBridgeName, 0, false, nil); err != nil {
+	if _, err := weavenet.CreateAndAttachVeth(name, peerName, weavenet.WeaveBridgeName, 0, false, true, nil); err != nil {
 		return nil, driver.error("JoinEndpoint", "%s", err)
 	}